Yeti Airlines

Yeti Airlines

IATA YT ICAO NYT Callsign YETI AIRLINES
Founded	1998
Hubs	Kathmandu
Frequent-flyer program	Yeti Airlines SKY-Club
Subsidiaries	Tara Air
Fleet size	7
Destinations	8
Company slogan	You Come First
Headquarters	Kathmandu, Nepal
Key people	Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa
Website	www.yetiairlines.com

Yeti Airlines Domestic Pvt. Ltd. is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal.^[1] The airline was established in May 1998 and received its Air Operators Certificate on 17 August 1998. Yeti Airlines is the parent company of Tara Air. Together the two airlines form the largest domestic flight operator in Nepal. Yeti Airlines operates a fleet of seven aircraft and offers scheduled domestic flights to eight destinations.^[2]

History

Yeti Airlines was established in May 1998 and received its Air Operators Certificate on 17 August 1998. It started operations with two de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters.^[2]

Yeti Airlines and its subsidiary Tara Air combine to form the largest domestic airline in Nepal; the group has more than 60% of the total market share as of January 2008. However, the airline has a history of accidents and has had the most accidents resulting in deaths among airlines in Nepal. Together, Yeti Airlines and Tara Air have the widest domestic flight network of any Nepali airline and fly to most destinations in Nepal. The STOL aircraft of Tara Air serve much of the isolated population of Nepal who live in remote areas,^[3] Whilst the BAe Jetstreams of Yeti serve the more substantial regional airports.

Destinations

Yeti Airlines offers scheduled flights to the following destinations (as of December 2012):^[4]

Yeti Airlines also operates a one-hour long Everest Express mountain flight every morning by BAe Jetstream 41. Most of Nepal's remote mountain destinations are now connected by Tara Air's fleet of STOL aircraft.^[3]

Fleet

Yeti Airlines Jetstream 41

The Yeti Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft as of October 2010:^[2]

• 7 × BAe Jetstream 41

The STOL aircraft previously operated by Yeti, have now been re-branded in Tara Air livery, which maintains most of the original Yeti Airlines colour scheme.^[3] These are:

• 4 × De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300
• 2 × Dornier 228
• 2 × Pilatus Porter

In 2006 BAE Systems concluded an agreement with Yeti Airlines for the long-term lease of four 29-seat Jetstream 41 aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered in early May 2006 and the remaining three aircraft were delivered in the following months.^[5] The fourth Jetstream was delivered on 29 August 2006.^[6] A fifth Jetstream was purchased outright in 2007 and arrived in Kathmandu on the 28 April 2007. A seventh Jetstream arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport, on Saturday 7 November. The British Aerospace manufactured aircraft was acquired on an outright purchase basis.^[7]

Accidents and Incidents

• 25 May 2004 9N-AFD a de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter operating Flight 117, a cargo flight, crashes on approach to Lukla killing the crew of three.^[8]
• 21 June 2006 9N-AEQ, a DHC-6, is destroyed in a rice paddy on approach to Jumla, killing all six passengers and the crew of three.
• 8 October 2008 9N-AFE a DHC-6 operating as Flight 103, is destroyed on landing at Lukla, killing all eighteen passengers and two crew. Captain Surendra Kunwar was the only survivor.^[9]

See also

• List of airlines of Nepal

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yeti Airlines.

• Nepal Domestic Flights
• Yeti Airlines
• Yeti Airlines Fleet
• Yeti Airlines summary at the Aviation Safety Network

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