In reply to Damo:
> (In reply to Tom Briggs - Jagged Globe)
> [...]
> I can't imagine xs baggage is any more a safety threat than bad weather, bad pilots and bad maintenance.
Tara Air and its sister airline, Yeti are the biggest domestic airline in Nepal, operating more than half of all flights to mountain runways. During the trekking season, Tara operates as many as 25 flights a day between Kathmandu and Lukla, accounting for over 64,000 passenger-journeys annually. We visited Tara in October last year to discuss flight safety. They have been subjected to a recent “operational and technical” audit by one of the world’s biggest travel companies (who operate more than 240 travel brands, including its own airline, and serving more than 30 million customers). Following a “good on-site audit” by their team, the company confirmed Tara Air and Yeti Airlines to be on their approved list of air carriers.
Since the 2008 crash at Lukla (which was a Yeti plane), Tara/Yeti are now equipped with a GPS-based terrain alert system.
Not that the above is a guarantee of safety when flying in the Himalaya.