KATHMANDU, August 1:  Manodhari Mainali, an 86-year-old resident of Kandaghari, witnessed the Saurya Airlines plane crash and burst into flames before her eyes as it tried to take off from the airport in Kathmandu. Since then, she has been afraid to stay at home. Mainali, who used to enjoy watching planes take off from the airport from her roof, no longer finds any pleasure in it after the crash at Tribhuvan International Airport on July 24.

"I won't live long, but because our home is near the airport, every day is fear for my son and grandson," Mainali said, adding, "We should have built a house far from the airport."

On the fateful day on July 24, 18 out of 19 people on board the ill-fated aircraft died in the crash. The captain was the sole survivor as he was thrown from the aircraft due to the impact. Government officials have stated that if the crashed plane had not hit a parked container, it could have reached the nearby settlement and hit houses.

Seeing this potential danger, Govinda Pandey of Medical Chowk in Kandaghari is afraid to send his granddaughter to a school near the airport. "After the incident, I have considered changing my granddaughter's school," he told New Business Age.

Ajay Shrestha, a businessman in Ward No. 9, Khare of Kageshwari Manohara Municipality, has a petrol pump near Tribhuvan International Airport. "This incident has saddened us," he told New Business Age. "The business that has been operating for 12 years cannot be relocated immediately."

In the past 12 years, there have been three major plane crashes in and near Tribhuvan International Airport. In September 2012, a Sita Air plane crashed near the airport, killing 19 people. On March 12, 2018, 51 people died in a US-Bangla plane crash inside the airport. On July 24, 2024, 18 people died in a Saurya Airlines plane crash.

According to international standards, airports should be located away from settlements. In developed countries, there are examples of airports being relocated due to growing settlements around them.

Hong Kong moved its international airport in 1998 after the construction of high-rise buildings around the airport made it difficult for planes to take off and land. The international airport, previously located at Kai Tak, was moved to Chek Lap Kok, an island surrounded by the sea. Kansai International Airport in Japan is built in the sea.

"In developed countries, it is customary to build airports far from settlements to avoid crashes into human settlements," said Deputy Director General of the Civila Aviation Authority of Nepal, Hansraj Pandey.

 "At the international level, noise from flights and landings should not disturb residents. This is the first condition, so airports should be far from settlements. Secondly, airports have their standards."

Man-made structures grow as soon as settlements expand. Pandey said that the distance of such structures from the airport is determined by the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS). OLS is the imaginary airspace around the airport that describes the height and location of obstacles for safe landings. Once determined, the safety and operational efficiency of aircraft will increase.

"In the past, Tribhuvan International Airport was fine, but now, as settlements increase, the airport is in the middle of dense settlements," said Pandey. "Now there is a challenge to comply with OLS standards."

The airport must follow the OLS height criteria, and the CAAN says there will be no compromise on this. However, in the case of houses and buildings, Pandey said that houses up to four floors do not affect aircraft landings, but higher buildings will cause problems.

"According to our rules and international standards, the 4 km area around the airport is considered sensitive, and any accident within this area falls within the airport's rescue area," said Pandey. "It is estimated that an accident can happen anywhere within 4 km, and flight and landing routes are considered more risky."

According to the authorities, the takeoff and landing of aircraft are very risky. On July 24, the Saurya Airlines plane had an accident soon after takeoff. The US-Bangla aircraft had an accident during landing.

The airport office has already made a plan for accidents and immediate rescue within this 4 km area and along flight and landing routes. As soon as an accident occurs within this area, the airport takes over the responsibility for rescue work, Pandey said.

Civil Aviation Regulations, 2058 stipulate that no one shall open slaughterhouses within 3 km of the airport area and no one shall openly pile and throw garbage in a way that contaminates the environment. With slaughterhouses near the airport, there is a possibility of birds flying and hitting planes, causing accidents.

According to Pandey, the Yeti Airlines plane crash also occurred in Pokhara on January 15, 2023 near the airport.

That is why areas such as Bouddha and Imadol are considered very sensitive as the aircraft travel take this route when flying and landing at Tribhuvan International Airport. However, settlements have rapidly developed in those areas.

Pandey of Kandaghari said that the government needs to decide whether to evacuate the dangerous areas or move the airport to a safer location.

According to CAAN Spokesperson Pandey, the Saurya Airlines flight could have ended up in the settlement in Bauddha. However, the plane did not reach the settlement because it hit a container inside the airport while flying from Koteshwar, he said, adding that the Gothatar area was spared from a major incident.