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 operator's certificate on 17 August 1998. Since 2019, Yeti Airlines is the first carbon neutral airline in Nepal and South Asia.[4] It is the parent company of Tara Air. As of 2022, Yeti Airlines was the second-largest domestic carrier in Nepal, after Buddha Air.[5]
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.[6][7]
In late 2023, it was reported that Asian Life Insurance would take over a 49% stake of Yeti Airlines and that the company would issue an IPO.[8]
International operationsedit
In 2007, Yeti Airlines launched Fly Yeti as a joint venture with Air Arabia.[9] Due to political uncertainty, the airline ceased its operations in 2008.[10]
In 2013, the European Commissionbanned all Nepalese airlines from entering the European airspace. This restriction is still in place as of April 2024 and specifically also names Yeti Airlines.[11][12]
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.[14][15]
In December 2019, Yeti World made headlines, as it was involved in a corruption case around Prime MinisterK.P. Oli.[15]
Destinationsedit
Yeti Airlines offers scheduled flights to the following destinations (as of July 2023):[16]
Yeti Airlines also operates the one-hour-long Everest Express scheduled mountain sightseeing flights from Kathmandu to Mount Everest[19] and Annapurna Express mountain sightseeing flights from Pokhara to Annapurna Massif.[20]
Codeshare agreementsedit
Yeti Airlines has a codeshare agreement with its subsidiary Tara Air.[21]
Fleetedit
Current fleetedit
As of January 2024[update], Yeti Airlines operates the following aircraft:[22][23]
Stored indefinitely at Tribhuvan International Airport[34]
Accidents and incidentsedit
25 May 2004 – Yeti Airlines Flight 117: A Yeti Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter (registration 9N-AFD) cargo flight crashed into a hill on approach to Lukla. All three crew members were killed.[35]
21 June 2006 – 2006 Yeti Airlines Twin Otter Crash: A DHC-6 Twin Otter registered as 9N-AEQ was destroyed in a rice paddy on approach to Jumla, killing all six passengers and the crew of three.[36]
8 October 2008 – Yeti Airlines Flight 101: A DHC-6 was destroyed upon landing at Lukla, killing all 18 passengers and two of the three crew. The captain was the only survivor.[37]
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. None of the 29 passengers or crew of three were hurt, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[38]
12 July 2019 – Yeti Airlines Flight 422: An ATR 72-500 (registration 9N-AMM) en route from Nepalgunj Airport to Tribhuvan International Airport suffered a runway excursion while landing. All 68 people on board, including the crew of four, 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.[39]
29 July 2022 – Yeti Airlines Flight 672: An ATR 72-500 (registration 9N-ANG) en route from the Pokhara International Airport to Tribhuvan International Airport with 45 people on board, was climbing out of Pokhara when the left hand engine (PW127) failed prompting the crew to shut the engine down and return to Pokhara for a safe landing about 6 minutes after departure. The airport reported the left hand engine failed immediately after the aircraft became airborne.[40]
^"Civil Aviation Report 2017" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
^"Sky Club". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^"Management Team of Yeti Air". Webportal of Yeti Air. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
^"Yeti Airlines becomes Nepal's first carbon neutral airline". UNDP. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
^Prasain, Sangam (24 February 2023). "Domestic air traffic soars, hits a record 4.46m flyers". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
^"History". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
^"Tara Air – Biggest Airline in Nepalese Mountains - Helping Develop the Rural Nepal". Retrieved 9 May 2015.
^Maharjan, Surendra (28 September 2023). "Yeti Airlines welcoming Asian Life as Partner with 49% stake in response to the escalating Financial Crisis". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
^"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. 5 December 2013. 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.
^ ab"How Yeti Group benefited from its connections with PM Oli". Republica News. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
^"Scheduled Flights". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
^ abcdefghijklmnopq"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.
^"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 Airlines aircraft skids off runway". The Himalayan Times. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
^"Pokhara plane crash: A look at the long history of aircraft incidents in Nepal". INDIA TODAY. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
^"Nepal Plane With 72 On Board Crashes, 41 Bodies Found, More Feared Dead". NDTV.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
^"Yeti Airlines aircraft crashes in Pokhara". The Kathmandu Post. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
^"Nepal: Passenger plane crashes on runway of Pokhara Airport, 16 killed". mint. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.