US-Bangla Airlines Ordered to Pay $2.74 Million in 2018 Crash Compensation
A Nepali court has ordered US-Bangla Airlines to pay $2.74 million in additional compensation to the families of 17 victims who were killed in a horrific 2018 Kathmandu crash, one of the worst aviation disasters in modern-day Nepal.
The ruling, issued by Judge Diwakar Bhatta of the Kathmandu District Court, establishes a legal precedent in Nepal’s aviation industry. The verdict invoked gross negligence on the part of the airline, according to a report in The Kathmandu Post.
On March 12, 2018, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 travelling from Dhaka to Kathmandu crashed. The plane skidded off the runway at Tribhuvan International Airport, burst into flames, and killed 51 people, among them 22 Nepalis, 28 Bangladeshis and a Chinese citizen.
Previously, the families of the victims had each already received $20,000 under international insurance rules. The new court-imposed damages are on top of those basic payments, and families can seek unlimited damages if misconduct is proven. The judgment cites the frameworks of the Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol that governed airline liability at the time of the disaster.
Dispute Over Notification
US-Bangla Airlines, based in the capital, Dhaka, said it had not received official word of the court ruling.
“We have not received any official word on a verdict. “Our legal team is currently looking into the matter with the appropriate level of seriousness,” said a spokesperson for the airline.
The airline reiterated it would respond only after they obtained concrete evidence and urged the international media to refrain from telecasting reports which were based on secondary sources.
“The full text verdict is being written and will be shared as soon as it is prepared,” The Kathmandu Post quoted the written verdict.
A Legal Turning Point
Legal analysts in Nepal say the ruling was a milestone for aviation law in the country. Previous crashes have frequently led to insurance settlements, not court-ordered compensation, but the move toward civil liability based on negligence, the first of its kind by a court, could open the door to more litigation on air safety and accountability.
For grieving families, the ruling could provide not just financial relief, but also a kind of justice after years of mourning and emotional torture of unanswered questions.
With Nepal’s legal system struggling to keep pace with a changing world tour, all eyes are now on how US-Bangla Airlines and the regional aviation industry react.
Cinebuzz Times will keep an eye on the situation and update if there are appellate actions or responses from the aviation and legal fraternities in the Sub-Continent.