KATHMANDU, JANUARY 22
As the country witnessed the Yeti Airlines plane crash, the general public hastily resorted to calling the planes old. However, experts argue that it is wrong to harbour such assumption.
The recent Yeti plane crash a week ago in Pokhara has given this outlet to the public, yet again.
However, experts argue that planes can be old but not worn out. Technical Director at Buddha Air Mangesh Thapa says, "A plane can be old in terms of registration, but it cannot be worn out. Air accidents are not related to a plane's life. It is wrong to say that a plane is overused because the parts of a plane is checked and repaired frequently."
"A plane is regularly repaired and kept in airworthy state.
The engine and cycle are changed when it is time to do so," he added.
"The repair of the plane is based on the flight hours and its cycle," he further said. One take off is called a cycle for a plane.
When an ATR plane completes 70,000 cycles, it is stopped from flying as per rule. Even though the plane has good parts with 70,000 cycles, it is not allowed to fly, according to experts.
Similarly, Managing Director of Buddha Air Birendra Bahadur Basnet expressed worry over the continuous dissemination of news in the international media that Nepal's air service is not safe.
In view of media and people's fuss over Nepal's air service, leading air service provider Buddha Air organised an interaction today and shared information about the age and functions of the plane.
The programme was attended by journalists reporting on tourism and aviation. During the interaction, they were also provided an orientation on Buddha Air's activities and safety alertness. Flight operation director at Buddha Air Subarna Kharel informed journalists about air flight systems.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 23, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
