In 2015, during rescue operations after a devastating earthquake, there were multiple helicopter crashes that claimed more than a dozen lives.
Nepal has some of the most remote and difficult airfields in the world, flanked by snow-capped peaks that present a significant challenge even for accomplished pilots.
The weather can also change rapidly in the mountains, creating very difficult flying conditions.
Nepal’s aviation sector has also been affected by a lack of pilot training and maintenance issues.
In January, a plane crash in the west of the country killed 72 people, including an Argentine. The Yeti Airlines plane crashed into a gorge, broke into pieces and burst into flames as it approached the city of Pokhara (center).
In 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines plane crashed near the notoriously difficult Kathmandu International Airport, killing 51 people and seriously injuring 20.
In 1992, in the deadliest plane crash in Nepal, 167 people were killed when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed on approach to Kathmandu airport.
Just two months earlier, a Thai Airways plane had crashed near the same airport, killing 113 people.
The European Union has banned all Nepali airlines from entering its airspace for security reasons.