Nepal's aviation sector is among the most dangerous in the world. High mountains, short runways, unpredictable weather, and limited infrastructure make flying in the skies challenging. For this reason, Nepal has been plagued by a series of plane and helicopter accidents over the past decade.

Although the nature of the accidents varies, their root causes are often the same – loss of control in flight and collision with terrain (CIFT) under controlled conditions. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal recently released its ninth annual report, ‘Aviation Safety Report 2025’ covering the year 2024, which has raised these issues.

According to the authority’s data, most of the fatal accidents that have occurred in the last decade have been caused by ‘loss of control in-flight’ (loss of control during flight) and ‘controlled flight into terrain-CIFT’ (collision with mountains or terrain under controlled conditions). In fixed-wing aircraft accidents, 64 percent of the fatalities are due to loss of control in flight and 34 percent are due to collision with terrain. In helicopter accidents, 72 percent of the fatalities are due to controlled flight into terrain. These figures show that Nepal's aviation risks are not just technical but also deeply linked to geography and operational systems.

In 2024 alone, 349 aviation-related incidents were registered with the authority. Although this number is lower than the previous year, it does not indicate that the accident risk has decreased. Rather, the authority explains that information about the incident has started to come out as the safety reporting system is getting stronger.

Of the incidents registered in 2024, two were accidents, 16 were serious incidents, and the rest were general safety incidents. While the accident rate in fixed-wing aircraft has generally increased, the decrease in the fatality rate in helicopter flights is taken as a positive sign.

When analyzing accidents, it is not enough to blame pilot error or weather alone. Systemic weaknesses, the technical condition of the aircraft, air route management, airport capacity, training levels, and regulatory oversight are all related issues. This is why the authority has started prioritizing risk identification and prevention before taking action after an accident.

In this context, the ‘Safety Management System’ (SMS) is considered the backbone of aviation safety. SMS is not a system that is found after an accident, but a system that identifies and controls potential risks before an accident occurs. The authority has been continuously evaluating the implementation level of SMS in airlines since 2018/19. Recent audits have shown that safety awareness and management in airlines are gradually improving.

The biggest challenge in Nepal’s aviation sector is geography. The report says that the limited aircraft types at remote airports, the short length of runways, and the complicated flight routes in mountainous areas are the main reasons for increasing risk.

The authority’s ban on single-engine aircraft flights after a fatal accident in Kalikot in 2018 was a result of this challenge.

On the other hand, due to poor road access in remote areas, helicopter flights have become indispensable for rescue, relief and medical evacuation, which has further complicated the risks.

To publicly assess these risks and improvement efforts, the Authority has been publishing the ‘Aviation Safety Report’ every year.

Aviation workers see this report as a mirror of Nepal’s aviation safety, not just a collection of data. The ‘Aviation Safety Report 2025’, which covers the year 2024, is CAN’s ninth annual report. Eight reports have been published before. Which cover the accident situation, causes, risk analysis, safety programs and improvement efforts.

This report is based on data collected from mandatory and voluntary reporting systems, the Universal Safety Oversight Audit of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the report of the Air Accident Investigation Commission. According to the safety inspectors of the authority, the purpose of making the report public is not to blame any one person, but to increase transparency in the aviation sector and develop a common safety culture among all stakeholders.

Nepal is one of the 192 member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Nepal has also expressed its commitment to the global goal of achieving zero fatalities in the aviation sector by 2030. In line with this goal, the National Aviation Safety Plan 2023-2025 is being implemented. Which prioritizes risks such as runway encroachment, mid-air collisions, and wildlife-bird collisions on the runway.