Nepal Airlines
| |||||||
Founded | 1 July 1958 | , as Royal Nepal Airlines||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AOC # | 003/2000 | ||||||
Hubs | Tribhuvan International Airport | ||||||
Secondary hubs | |||||||
Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
Destinations | Parent company Government of Nepal | | |||||
Headquarters | Kantipath, Kathmandu, Bagmati Province, Nepal | ||||||
Key people | Mr. Ubaraj Adhikari (Chairman)[1] | ||||||
Employees | 1,400 | ||||||
Website | Official website |
Nepal Airlines Corporation (
History
1950s and 1960s: early years
The airline was established in July 1958 as Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation with one
Nepal's geopolitical situation produced a strange, politically mixed fleet, which was typically financed through aid programs from the country of manufacture. Seven more Douglas DC-3s were added to the fleet between 1959 and 1964. Furthermore, China supplied a couple of
In 1966, a turboprop
1970s and 1980s: the jet age and economic boom
In 1970, RNAC acquired its first
Nepal had 181,000 tourist visitors in 1985, of which 80 percent arrived by air. Royal Nepal Airlines carried 38 percent of these tourist passengers, but that number was down from the company's peak market share of 50 percent in 1979. Indian Airlines Corporation was RNAC's main competitor, but newer entrants in the business were also competing with RNAC for market share. These companies included Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, which started direct Kathmandu-Frankfurt service in cooperation with RNAC in October 1987 and now, other airlines are also wanting to do so.
At the time, Royal Nepal Airlines' network-connected 38 domestic and 10 international destinations. RNAC was flying directly from Nepal to Hong Kong (home to many
RNAC reported revenues of $54.3 million in 1988–89, producing an operating profit of $17 million. With a workforce of 2,200, NAC had become the country's largest employer and largest earner of foreign currency, bringing in roughly $15 million a year from abroad. Seventy-five percent of the company's passengers were foreign tourists.
1990s and 2000s: corruption
The domestic air market of the country was liberalized in 1992, and new competitors emerged: Necon Air, Cosmic Air, Everest Air, Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, and Sita Air. Nepal Airlines had its last Boeing 727 flight in 1992. By 1997, these four competitors accounted for 70 percent of Nepal's domestic air traffic.[6]
Adding to the airline's struggles as the millennium approached, were allegations of corruption which periodically surfaced. One case involved
In December 2000, a large scandal revolved around the lease of a Boeing 767 aircraft from Austria's Lauda Air, which entered service in over protests from employees and government officials. The latter claimed the deal was unnecessary since NAC was not getting enough usage from its two existing Boeing 757s; further, the actual cost per flight hour of the Lauda jet ended up being $5,000 ($1,150 above the cost specified in the contract). RNAC chairman Haribhakta Shrestha was suspended during an investigation, along with other NAC executives; Nepal's tourism and civil aviation minister Tarani Dutt Chataut resigned soon after.[5]
In 2004, it was reported that the Government of Nepal had decided to sell off 49% of its stake in Nepal Airlines, to the private sector, and hand over management control, whilst retaining a 51% share. This would provide the investment to get the airline out of significant debt.[7]
The former chairman of Nepal Airlines, Ramagya Chaturvedi, was jailed for corruption in February 2005.[8]
In September 2007, the airline confirmed that it had sacrificed two goats to appease a Hindu god following technical problems with one of its aircraft. Nepal Airlines said the animals were slaughtered in front of the plane, a
From 2000 until 2010, there were no accidents with Nepal Airlines' aircraft involved. This is the longest period without such an incident in the history of the company.[citation needed]
The 2010s: addition of Airbus fleet
In 2009, at the Dubai Airshow, Nepal Airlines signed a
In April 2014, Nepal Airlines unveiled new plane after taking delivery of
On 8 February 2015, Nepal Airlines received its first
In 2015, Nepal Airlines flew 253,658 travellers, up 22.87 percent compared to the previous year, which saw the transport of 206,430 passengers.[11] Similarly, it flew 42,535 domestic air passengers in 2015, an increase of 21.60% compared to the previous year.[12]
In 2016, one of the airline's aging Boeing 757-200 (Registration 9N-ACA) was retired after three decades of service because of the non-profitable operation with high maintenance costs; the airline sold it to
On 16 July 2017, Nepal Airlines launched an online ticket booking service for international flights.
In 2018, Nepal Airlines acquired two Airbus
In mid-March, NAC retired its remaining Boeing 757-200M after three decades of service in order to focus on an Airbus-only fleet. The company is likely to sell the aircraft soon.[16]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, Nepal Airlines carried out rescue and evacuation charter flights while all of its scheduled flights were grounded from March 2020.[17]
In July 2020, Nepal Airlines retired its fleet of Chinese-made
In May 2023, Nepal Airlines Corporation issued a tender notice regarding the proposed auction of its sole B757-200CB registered as 9N-ACB (msn 23863), along with the engines, tools, and inventory. The reserve price is USD5.71 million. The plane has not flown since Nepal Airlines retired it in early 2018. Since then, it has remained parked at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.[19]
Destinations
Nepal Airlines currently operates flights to 11 international and several domestic destinations from its main hub at Tribhuvan International Airport. The airline also operates domestic flights from its regional hubs at Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Pokhara.
- Druk Air[20]
Fleet
Current fleet
As of January 2024[update], Nepal Airlines operates the following aircraft:[21][22][23]
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Y | Total | ||||
Airbus A320-200
|
2 | — | 8 | 150 | 158 | |
Airbus A330-200
|
2 | — | 18 | 256 | 274 | [24] |
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter
|
2 | — | — | 19 | 19 | |
Total | 6 | — |
Historical fleet
Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A310-300
|
1993 | 1996 | Leased | [25] |
Boeing 707 | 1983 | 1983 | Leased | |
Boeing 727-100
|
1972 | 1993 | ||
Boeing 757-200
|
1987 | 2017 | ||
Boeing 757-200M | 1987 | 2019 | Parked | [16] |
Boeing 767-300
|
2000 | 2001 | Leased | [25] |
Douglas DC-3 | 1958 | 1973 | ||
Fokker F27 Friendship | 1966 | 1970 | ||
Fong Shou-2 Harvester
|
1963 | 1965 | ||
Harbin Y-12 | 2014 | 2020 | [26][27] | |
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 1970 | 1996 | ||
Pilatus Porter
|
1961 | 1998 | ||
Xian MA60
|
2014 | 2020 | [26][28] |
Cabins and services
International
Shangri-La Class
Shangri-La Class is Nepal Airlines'
Economy Class
Nepal Airlines serves economy class passengers a meal, with options of either
Domestic
Economy Class
All of the Nepal Airlines' domestic fleets are configured with economy class only. Since most of the domestic flights are less than an hour-long, passengers are provided with complimentary candies and cottons only.[citation needed]
Incidents and accidents
- 5 November 1960 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Bhairawa Airport and caught fire. All 4 crew members died. There were no passengers on board.[31]
- 9 March 1961 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crashed in Jiri.[32]
- 1 August 1962 – New Delhi Airport, radio contact was lost and the aircraft crashed near Tulachan Dhuri. The wreckage was found on 9 August 1962 on a mountain top at 11,200 feet. All four crew and six passengers died.[31]
- 26 August 1962 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crashed in Barse Dhuri on a rescue mission for the 1962 Royal Nepal Airlines DC-3 crash.[33][34]
- 12 July 1969 – 1969 Royal Nepal Airlines DC-3 crash: A Royal Nepal Airlines Douglas DC-3D (9N-AAP) collided with a tree while flying over a cloud-covered ridge at 7,300 feet at Hetauda, Nepal. All 4 crew and 31 passengers died.[31]
- 25 January 1970 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Fokker F27-200 (9N-AAR) after a flight from Kathmandu, was caught in severe thunderstorms with turbulence and down draughts on final approach to Delhi Palam Airport. The pilot couldn't control the aircraft and crashed short of the runway. Of the 5 crew and 18 passengers only one crew member died.[31]
- 10 June 1973 – 1973 Nepal plane hijack: A Royal Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABB) on a flight from Biratnagar to Kathmandu, was taken over by three hijackers of Nepali Congress party who demanded money and escaped after landing in Bihar, India. None of the three crew and 18 passengers were injured.[35]
- 15 October 1973 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Lukla Airport; the three crew and three passengers were unhurt.[31]
- 31 March 1975 –
- 19 November 1981 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter en route from Biratnagar Airport to Tribhuvan International Airport crashed shortly after takeoff. All 10 occupants were killed.[38][39]
- 22 December 1984 – A Royal Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABH) en route from Tumlingtar Airport to Tribhuvan International Airport crashed off course near Bhojpur, Nepal. Bad weather and pilot error could have been the cause. All three crew members were killed as well as 12 of the 20 passengers.[31]
- 9 June 1991 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Lukla Airport following an unstabilized approach in bad weather. All three crew and 14 passengers were killed.[31]
- 5 July 1992 – A Royal Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABB), lost directional control on takeoff from Jumla Airport on a flight to Surkhet. The aircraft ran off the runway and struck the airport perimeter fence. None of the three crew were injured and there were no passengers on board.[31]
- 17 January 1995 – A Royal Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABI), flight RA133 from Kathmandu to Rumjatar, had problems getting airborne at Tribhuvan International Airport, struck the airfield perimeter fence and plunged into fields. Of three crew and 21 passengers, one crew member and one passenger were killed.[31]
- 25 April 1996 – A Royal Nepal Airlines BAe 748 Series 2B (9N-ABR) overran the runway at Meghauli Airport, after a flight from Kathmandu, when landing in rain on the grass airstrip. The aircraft ran across some ditches, causing the nose gear to collapse. None of the 4 crew and 27 passengers were injured.[31]
- 19 November 1998 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter en route from Tribhuvan International Airport to Syangboche Airport crashed in Phakding killing the one person on board.[38][40]
- 19 November 1998 – A Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crashed in Phakding.[41]
- 27 July 2000 –
- 19 April 2010 – A Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABX) on a flight from Kathmandu to Phaplu Airport. The aircraft was unable to land at Phaplu due to poor weather. The crew decided to divert to their alternate airport at Kangel Danda (the designated alternate airport). The airplane touched down on its nose gear first and suffered some minor damage to the nose section.[31]
- 16 May 2013 – Nepal Airlines Flight 555: A Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABO) from Pokhara to Jomsom veered left off of the runway after touching down at Jomsom and went down the slope to the Kaligandaki river. The aircraft stopped at the bank of the river, with the left wing in the water. Three crew and four passengers received serious injuries, and 15 passengers received minor or no injuries. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[42]
- 16 February 2014 – Nepal Airlines Flight 183: A Nepal Airlines De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (9N-ABB) went missing en route to Jumla carrying 18 people aboard. It was later confirmed that the plane had crashed in Argakhachi.[43]
See also
References
- ^ "Sushil Ghimire appointed Nepal Airlines executive chairman". The Kathmandu Post. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ Joshi, Subash (3 February 2021). "AN ANALYSIS ON PRESENT SCENARIO OF NEPAL AIRLINES CORPORATION AND ITS WAY FORWARD". IOE Journal. I: 15.
- ^ "EU ban on airline companies from Nepal to continue". Onlinekhabar. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Brief History of Nepal Airlines". Nepal Airlines. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "History of Nepal Airline Corporation – FundingUniverse". Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ R.E.G. Davies, Airlines of Asia Since 1920
- ^ "Nepal airlines offers stake to Indian operators". Tribune India. 11 November 2004. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004.
- ^ "Former NAC' NOC chief slapped 18-month jail". The Himalayan Times. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Goats sacrificed to fix Nepal jet". BBC. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ ATW Daily News Dubai Airshow News Archived 19 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine 18 November 2009
- ^ Prasain, Sangam (4 April 2016). "Int'l passenger traffic drops for first time in 13 years". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ Prasain, Sangam (9 April 2016). "Air passenger movement falls for 4th straight year". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ "Nepal Airlines' new Airbus A330-200 lands at TIA". The Himalayan Times. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ "2nd wide-body aircraft of NAC arrives". The Himalayan Times. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ a b Shrestha, Biju (21 March 2019). "End of an Era!! NAC retires Boeing 757; Aviation Enthusiasts show dismay over no retirement flight for Boeing757". Aviation Nepal.
- ^ "NAC and Himalaya Airlines suspend flights to Doha". The Himalayan Times. 11 March 2020. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ Begum, Haneesa (15 July 2020). "Nepal Airlines Grounds Its Chinese Built Aircraft". Simple Flying. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ "Tender Document for Sale of B757-200CB" (PDF). Nepal Airlines Corporation. 19 May 2023.
- ^ "NAC, Druk Air signs codesharing pact". Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Nepal Airlines fleet details". Airfleets. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ "Nepal Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ "NAC calls tender for auction of Boeing aircraft". The Himalayan Times. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "NAC's second wide-body aircraft arrives (In photos)". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Royal Nepal Airlines". Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Nepal Airlines retires MA-60s, Y12Es". Ch-Aviation. 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Nepal Airlines Corporation, Chinese company sign six aircraft deal, Aircraft in Nepal, Nepal Aircraft, Local Airlines, Nepal Airlines – Nepal Tours Destination". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Nepal Airline 9N-AKR New aircraft landed at tribhuvan international airport (Photo Feature)". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ "Business Class". Nepal Airlines. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ "Economy Class". Nepal Airlines. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ^ "Pilatus Porter History S/N 347". PC 6. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "CRASH OF A PILATUS PC-6/340 PORTER IN BARSE DHURI". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Pilatus Porter History S/N 346". PC 6. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Nepal Magazine Archived 2 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved 18 November 2006.
- ISBN 978-1927330159.
- ^ "Hillary's Kin Killed In Nepal Plane Crash". The New York Times. 1 April 1975. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Aviation Safety Report 2019" (PDF). Kathmandu: Civil Aviation Authority Nepal. pp. 32–33. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "CRASH OF A PILATUS PC-6 TURBO PORTER IN BIRATNAGAR: 10 KILLED". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "CRASH OF A PILATUS PC-6 TURBO PORTER IN NAMCHE BAZAR: 1 KILLED". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "Pilatus Porter History S/N 755". PC 6. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (16 May 2013). "Accident: Nepal DHC6 at Jomsom on May 16th 2013, runway excursion". AVHerald. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon. "Crash: Nepal DHC6 near Khidim on Feb 16th 2014, aircraft impacted terrain". Avherald.com. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
External links
Media related to Nepal Airlines at Wikimedia Commons