Keep the goats away
23 February 2014
Benjamin Franklin, the American polymath, once wrote that nothing in this world can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Rather unfortunately, there is also a degree of certainty over at least one plane crash in Nepal every year. Tragically, even as one year rolls into the next, and one crash follows another, nobody seems to do anything about it.
The number of people dead in these crashes has become just a statistic, and any statement by the government or the airlines in response to these accidents is almost devoid of any real concern or emotion.
Last Sunday, a Nepal Airlines Twin Otter crashed soon after it lost contact with air traffic control following its take off from Pokhara, killing all 18 people on board. Nepal Airlines naturally blamed the crash on bad weather. That simple.
The government, on its part, formed a four-member commission to investigate the cause(s) of the crash the following day, and gave it 2 months to submit its findings. Again, that simple.
Many such committees have been formed in the past, but no one has been held to account for what is just an unnecessary and tragic loss of life. Since 1991, Nepal has seen 11 plane crashes resulting in 133 fatalities. Five of these planes were serving Nepal Airlines.
We set up inquiries and commissions. That’s what we do best.
The Nepal Airlines plane that crashed on Sunday had been in service for more than 4 decades. Agreed, the Twin Otter is a hardy plane accustomed to difficult terrain and flying conditions, but one must seriously question the quality of the maintenance of these aircraft in Nepal.
Let’s not forget this is the same airline, which in 2007, sacrificed two goats in front of one of its planes — a Boeing 757 — to appease the Hindu god of sky protection, when the plane ran into technical problems at Kathmandu airport. This would have been funny if it wasn’t depressing.
Widely regarded as among the best pilots in the world, Nepalese pilots’ records today unfortunately do not stand up to scrutiny. At some level, the quality of training Nepalese pilots receive, must be questioned, as must the procedures for their hiring.
It is no secret that airlines in Nepal are cutting corners, and hence, it is imperative to ask whether they are investing enough into the quality of pilots as well as towards the maintenance of their fleet of aircraft.
Surely, the buck must stop somewhere or with someone, for besides the heart-rending loss of lives, Nepal’s shameful aviation (lack of) safety record has wider implications for the tourism industry, one of the cornerstones of the economy.
These frequent air crashes scare tourists away. It’s not hard to understand. People I know here ask me all kinds of questions about air travel in Nepal, some of which would be comical in any other context, but speak volumes about their concerns in this case. They read of these crashes in the international media; they also read that the European Union has put all of Nepal’s airlines on a blacklist and banned them from flying to the EU on safety grounds.
There is no running away from what is a pathetic track record, and the national carrier has the dubious distinction of being the leader of the pack. If only it could also take the lead in addressing some of these pressing issues, things may begin to change.
Over the last few months, we have beaten our chests and cried hoarse over the sad deaths of Nepalese workers in the Middle East and the failure of governments there to address the issue. They have been horror stories, yes. The truth is, we have our own horror story, and sacrificing goats isn’t going to help fix it.
(This column appeared in The Himalayan Times on 23 February 2014)
