Yeti Airlines
Yeti Airlines Pvt. Ltd. (Nepali: यती एअरलाइन्स) is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The airline was established in May 1998 and received its Air Operators Certificate on 17 August 1998. Since 2019, Yeti Airlines is the first carbon neutral airline in Nepal and South Asia.[2] It is the parent company of Tara Air. As of 2018, Yeti Airlines was the second largest domestic carrier in Nepal, after Buddha Air, with a market share of 23.5%.[3]
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| Founded | 1998 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | 037/2004[1] | ||||||
| Hubs | Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu | ||||||
| Focus cities | Biratnagar Pokhara Bhairahawa Nepalgunj Bharatpur | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Yeti Airlines SKY-Club | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Tara Air | ||||||
| Fleet size | 7 | ||||||
| Destinations | 10 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||||
| Key people | Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
Yeti Airlines was established by Ang Tshering Sherpa 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.
In 2009, Yeti Airlines established the subsidiary Tara Air to which it outsourced its STOL operations to airports in the rural and mountainous airports in Nepal and transferred its respective aircraft, DHC-6 Twin Otters and Dornier 228s to Tara Air.[4][5]
Yeti Airlines and 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. Together, Yeti Airlines and Tara Air have the widest domestic flight network of any Nepali airline and fly to most destinations in Nepal.
International Operations
In 2007, Yeti Airlines launched Fly Yeti as a joint venture with Air Arabia.[6] Due to political uncertainty, the airline ceased its operations in 2008.[7]
In 2013, the European Commission banned all Nepalese airlines from entering the European airspace. This restriction is still in place as of November 2017 and specifically also regards Yeti Airlines.[8][9]
In 2014, Yeti Airlines launched Himalaya Airlines, another joint venture, this time with Chinese Tibet Airlines.[10]
Yeti World
The parent company of Yeti Airlines, Yeti World, also encompasses other touristic ventures, including hotels and resorts and further airline companies, namely Air Dynasty and [Altitude Air]].[11][12]
In December 2019, Yeti World made headlines, as it was involved in a corruption case around Prime Minister K.P. Oli.[12]
Destinations
Yeti Airlines offers scheduled flights to the following destinations (as of October 2020):[13]
| Destination | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu | Tribhuvan International Airport | Hub |
| Bajhang[14] | Bajhang Airport | Terminated |
| Bajura[14] | Bajura Airport | Terminated |
| Bhadrapur | Bhadrapur Airport | |
| Bhairahawa | Gautam Buddha Airport | |
| Bharatpur | Bharatpur Airport | |
| Biratnagar | Biratnagar Airport | |
| Birendranagar[14] | Surkhet Airport | Terminated |
| Dang[14] | Dang Airport | Terminated |
| Dhangadhi | Dhangadhi Airport | Terminated |
| Janakpur | Janakpur Airport | |
| Jeetpursimara | Simara Airport | [15] |
| Jomsom[14] | Jomsom Airport | Terminated |
| Jumla[14] | Jumla Airport | Terminated |
| Lamidanda[14] | Lamidanda Airport | Terminated |
| Lukla[14] | Lukla Airport | Terminated |
| Manang[14] | Manang Airport | Terminated |
| Meghauli[14] | Meghauli Airport | Terminated |
| Nepalgunj | Nepalgunj Airport | |
| Phaplu[14] | Phaplu Airport | Terminated |
| Pokhara | Pokhara Airport | |
| Rara[14] | Rara Airport | Terminated |
| Rukum[14] | Rukumkot Airport | Terminated |
| Rukum[14] | Rukum Salle Airport | Terminated |
| Rumjatar[14] | Rumjatar Airport | Terminated |
| Sanphebagar[14] | Sanphebagar Airport | Terminated |
| Taplejung[14] | Taplejung Airport | Terminated |
| Tumlingtar | Tumlingtar Airport |
Yeti Airlines also operates one-hour-long Everest Express scheduled mountain sightseeing flights from Kathmandu to Mount Everest[16] and Annapurna Express mountain sightseeing flights from Pokhara to Annapurna Massif.[17]
Fleet
Current Fleet
The Yeti Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of September 2020):[19][20]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| BAe Jetstream 41 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 29 | |
| ATR 72-500 | 5[21] | — | 72 | 72 | 2 Leased from Nordic Aviation Capital[22][23] | |
| Total | 7 | |||||
Former fleet
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 1998 | 2009 | now operated by Tara Air |
| Dornier 228 | 2009 | 2009 | now operated by Tara Air |
| Embraer EMB 110[24] | 1999 | ? | |
| Embraer EMB 120[25] | 2000 | 2001 | |
| Harbin Y-12 | 1995[26] | 2001 | Stored at Tribhuvan International Airport[27] |
| Saab 340-B | 2004 | ? | Stored at Tribhuvan International Airport[28] |
Accidents and incidents
- 25 May 2004 – Yeti Airlines Flight 117: A Yeti Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (registration 9N-AFD) cargo flight crashed into a hill on approach to Lukla.[29]
- 21 June 2006 – 2006 Yeti Airlines Twin Otter Crash: A DHC-6 Twin Otter registered 9N-AEQ was destroyed in a rice paddy field on approach to Jumla, killing all six passengers and the crew of three.[30]
- 8 October 2008 – Yeti Airlines Flight 103: A DHC-6 was destroyed upon landing at Lukla, killing all eighteen passengers and two of the three crew. The captain was the only survivor.[31]
- 24 September 2016 – Yeti Airlines Flight 893: A BAe Jetstream 41 registration 9N-AIB en route from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa overran the runway while landing at Gautam Buddha Airport. All 29 passengers and the crew of 3 were unhurt but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[32]
- 1 March 2019 – Following the 2019 Taplejung helicopter crash, Yeti Airlines halted all of their flights on 1 March 2019 mourning the loss of their managing director Ang Tshering Sherpa (de).[33]
- 12 July 2019 – A Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 registration 9N-AMM en route from Nepalgunj Airport to Tribhuvan International Airport suffered a runway excursion while landing. All 68 people onboard including the crew of 4 evacuated the aircraft safely. Two of them received minor injuries and were taken to the hospital. A wet runway during the rainy season could have been the cause.[34]
Trivia
Yeti Airlines is the current shirt sponsor of Kathmandu-based football club Himalayan Sherpa Club, who currently play in Nepal's highest football league, the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League.[35]
References
- "Civil Aviation Report 2017" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "Yeti Airlines becomes Nepal's first carbon neutral airline". UNDP. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- "Tribhuvan International Airport posts 12 percent passenger growth in 2018". The Kathmandu Post. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "History". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- "Tara Air – Biggest Airline in Nepalese Mountains - Helping Develop the Rural Nepal". Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "Yeti Airlines goes international, Orient Thai comes to Nepal". The Himalayan Times. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Air Arabia. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- "EU bans all airlines from Nepal to fly into the 28 nation bloc". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- "LEGAL NOTICE" (PDF). European Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- "Himalaya conducts 'proving' flight". The Kathmandu Post. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- "About us". Yeti World. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "How Yeti Group benefited from its connections with PM Oli". Republica News. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Scheduled Flights". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- "INTERACTIVE MAP". Yeti Airlines. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Yeti Airlines scheduled to fly Simara after 12 years". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- "Everest Express". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "Annapurna Express". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- "Lukla Tenzing Hillary Airport". FlightRadar24. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 21.
- Yeti Airlines Fleet Details and History planespotters.net, accessdate 19 September 2020
- "Yeti Airlines has added fifth ATR72-500 aircraft". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- "NAC delivered one ATR 72-500, MSN 876, to Yeti Airlines on lease". Nordic Aviation Capital. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- "Yeti Airlines welcomes 3rd ATR 72-500 into its fleet". Aviation Nepal. 18 September 2018.
- Yeti Airlines Calendar 2075. Kathmandu: Yeti Airlines.
- "REGISTRATION SEARCH FOR C-GFKB". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "REGISTRATION SEARCH FOR 9N-AFO". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "YETI AIRLINES - FLEET". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "REGISTRATION SEARCH FOR 9N-AHL". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 9N-AFD Lukla". Flight Safety Foundation. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- Accident description for 9N-AEQ at the Aviation Safety Network
- "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 9N-AFE Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA)". Flight Safety Foundation. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "Yeti Airlines 9N-AIB Escaped from an accident". Aviation Nepal. 24 September 2016.
- "Yeti and Tara cancel all flights for tomorrow to mourn MD Sherpa's demise". The Himalayan Times. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- "Yeti Airlines aircraft skids off runway". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- "HSC, Yeti Airlines renew sponsorship deal". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
