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Shree gets go-ahead to diversify into jets
Shree Airlines has finally received a no objection certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) to buy or lease aircraft, eight months after the carrier applied to begin fixed-wing operations.Sangam Prasain
Shree Airlines has finally received a no objection certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) to buy or lease aircraft, eight months after the carrier applied to begin fixed-wing operations.
Following the go-ahead from the aviation regulator, the country’s largest helicopter operator has planned to bring two Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ)—a 50-seater CRJ-200 and a 70-seater CRJ-700.
The first of the two jets will arrive in a month, airline sources said. The carrier plans to expand its fleet to three jets by the end of 2017.
According to Caan Deputy Director General Rajan Pokhrel, Shree has completed four of the five procedures to obtain the Air Operator Certificate (AOC)—pre-application; formal application; document evaluation; no objection certificate phase; and inspection, demonstration and certification.
“After it brings the aircraft, we will conduct an inspection and demonstration before issuing the AOC,” he said.
Although, Shree had planned to launch commercial operations by the end of 2016, stringent AOC requirements forced it to push back its launch date. The airline said it would be spending Rs2 billion on its expansion project that is expected to shake up the domestic aviation sector which seems to have quietened down of late.
Shree Airlines will become the second Nepali carrier to fly Bombardier aircraft after Saurya Airlines.
Shree Airlines has been allotted six sectors—Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and mountain flight. Airline officials said the reduced travel time offered by jet aircraft would help them to attract travellers and break the duopoly of Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines on trunk routes.
Currently, Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, Simrik Airlines, Saurya Airlines and Nepal Airlines serve domestic trunk routes. Shree will be hiring at least 200 more personnel for its expansion project. It said that it decided to go into fixed-wing operations as part of its plan to diversify and tap into Nepal’s expanding air travel market. Started in 1999, it currently has six MI-17 and four Eurocopter AS350 B3e helicopters.
After witnessing a constant fall in passenger numbers in the last four years, the domestic aviation sector rebounded strongly in 2016, recording an all-time high air traveller movement.
According to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal’s domestic air passenger movement jumped 28.85 percent to 1.75 million, as travellers chose to fly rather than drive over bone-jarring national highways.
Yeti moves closer to expanding fleet
Nepali private carrier Yeti Airlines has completed three of the five procedures set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) to induct two ATR 72-500 turboprops into its fleet.
According to Caan, they have been assessing the documentation phase of the carrier. The airline plans to bring one of the two ATR 72-500 turboprops by May, according to Caan. Yeti will be the second operator of the aircraft type in the country after Buddha Air. It plans to use them to support its domestic network and provide enhanced connectivity on trunk and short-haul routes.