Nepal Airlines
Nepal Airlines (formerly known as Royal Nepal Airlines) is the flag carrier airline of Nepal. Its head office is in the NAC Building (formerly RNAC Building) in Kathmandu,[2][3] and its main base is Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. The airline was established in July 1958 as Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC). The airline's first aircraft was a single Douglas DC-3, used to serve domestic routes and a handful of destinations in India. The airline acquired its first jet aircraft, Boeing 727s, in 1972. In 2004 the Government of Nepal decided to sell off 49% of its stake in Nepal Airlines to the private sector. Presently, the airline operates a fleet of seven aircraft and flies to 39 destinations—seven of which are international.
History
The airline was established in July 1958 as Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation with one Douglas DC-3. At the beginning, its services were limited to Simara, Pokhara, Biratnagar and Indian cities such as Patna, Calcutta and Delhi. In 1961 Pilatus Porter STOL aircraft joined the fleet and in 1963 12-seater Chinese Fong Shou-2 Harvester's were brought into service, opening up the Kingdom's more remote routes.[4] In 1966 a turboprop Fokker F27 was added to the airline's fleet. In 1970 RNAC acquired its first Hawker Siddley HS-748 followed by Twin Otter's in 1971 and Boeing 727's in 1972. Two Boeing 757s gradually replaced the airline's Boeing 727s in 1987.[4]
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.[5]
The former chairman of Nepal Airlines was jailed for corruption in February 2005.[6]
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 Boeing 757, at Tribhuvan International Airport. The offering was made to Akash Bhairab, the Hindu god of sky protection, whose symbol is seen on the company's aircraft. The airline said that after Sunday's ceremony the plane successfully completed a flight to Hong Kong. Raju KC, an airline official, was quoted as saying: "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights". The company did not say what the problem was, but reports in local media had blamed an electrical fault.[7]
In 2009, at the Dubai Airshow, Nepal Airlines signed a Memorandum of understanding with Airbus to acquire one A330-200 and one A320-200. The A330 will be used on flights to Japan and Europe, and the A320 will operate flights to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.[8]
Destinations
Fleet
The Nepal Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft (as of 26 December 2011):[9]
Historical fleet
Incidents and accidents
- 5 November 1960 - RNA Douglas C-47A-80-DL (9N-AAD) crashed on take-off at Bhairawa Airport and caught fire. All four crew members were killed. There were no passengers on board.[10]
- 1 August 1962 - RNA Douglas C-47A-DL (9N-AAH) en route from Kathmandu-Gaucher Airport to New Delhi, 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 were killed.[10]
- 12 July 1969 - RNA Douglas DC-3D (9N-AAP) collided with a tree while flying over a cloud covered ridge at 7,300 feet at Hitauda, Nepal. All four crew and 31 passengers were killed.[10]
- 25 January 1970 - RNA 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 five crew and 18 passengers only one crew member was killed.[10]
- 10 June 1973 - RNA De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 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.[10]
- 15 October 1973 - RNA De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABG) was damaged beyond repair at Lukla Airport. the three crew and three passengers were unhurt.[10]
- 22 December 1984 - RNA De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABH) crashed off course near Bhojpur, Nepal. Bad weather and pilot error could have been the cause. All three crew were killed as well as 12 of the 20 passengers.[10]
- 9 June 1991 - RNA De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABA), after a flight from Kathmandu, crashed on landing at Lukla Airport following an unstabilized approach in bad weather. All three crew and 14 passengers were killed.[10]
- 5 July 1992 - RNA 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.[10]
- 17 January 1995 - RNA 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.[10]
- 25 April 1996 - RNA 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 nosegear to collapse. None of the 4 crew and 27 passengers were injured.[10]
- 27 July 2000 - RNA De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABP), on a flight from Bajhang to Dhangadhi, collided with trees on the 4,300 feet Jarayakhali hill on the Churia mountain range before catching fire. All 3 crew and 22 passengers were killed.[10]
- 19 April 2010 - RNA De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 (9N-ABX) on a flight from Kathmandu (KTM) on a domestic flight to Phaplu Airport (PPL) with Kangel Danda as designated alternate airport. The aircraft was unable to land at Phaplu due to poor weather. The crew decided to divert to their alternate, the remote mountain airstrip at Kangel Danda. The airplane touched down on its nose gear first and caused some minor damage to the nose section.[10]
References
- ^ Corporate Structure
- ^ "Contact Information." Nepal Airlines. Retrieved on 31 December 2011. "Head Office Contact Information NAC Building, Kantipath Kathmandu, Nepal"
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 23-29 March 1994. 114. "Head office: PO Box 401, RNAC Building, Kantipath, Kathmandu 711000, Nepal."
- ^ a b c Brief History of Nepal Airlines retrieved 28 August 2010
- ^ Tribune India 12 November 2004
- ^ The Age 9 February 2005
- ^ BBC News
- ^ ATW Daily News Dubai Airshow News 18 November 2009
- ^ Nepal Airlines Fleet
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Aviation Safety Network retrieved 18 November 2006
External links
|
Nepal portal |
|
Aviation portal |