The expansion of air travel has brought huge benefits to the mountainous country – but a poor safety record puts jobs and tourism at risk
Fear, anxiety and resignation stalk Nepal’s domestic airports. Norwegian tourist Waldemar Wergeland is relieved to have landed safely at Kathmandu’s domestic terminal. He admits he was worried about flying in Nepal. “We did a lot of research before we made up our minds to travel by air,” he says.
At the airport in the southern city of Siddharthanagar (also known as Bhairahawa), Nepali folk singer Alif Khan says he stopped taking flights to his performances after a recent deadly air accident. “I started travelling by bus, but I got frustrated by the long traffic jams and landslides on the way. So even though I’m scared, I’ve started flying again,” he says.
Written by Pete Pattisson and Praveen Yadav in Kathmandu
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/jul/21/nepal-air-crashes-safety-record-jobs-tourism under the title “One of the world’s most dangerous places to fly: Nepal grapples with deadly air crashes”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
