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.[6] It is the parent company of Tara Air. As of 2024, Yeti Airlines is the second-largest domestic carrier in Nepal by passengers carried and third largest by fleet size.[7]

Yeti Airlines
यती एयरलायन्स
IATA ICAO Call sign
YT NYT YETI AIRLINES
FoundedMay 1998; 26 years ago (1998-05)
AOC #037/2004[1]
HubsTribhuvan International Airport
Frequent-flyer programSky Club[2]
SubsidiariesTara Air
Fleet size7
Destinations7
HeadquartersKathmandu, Nepal
Key people
Websitewww.yetiairlines.com
Yeti Airlines Twin Otter at Pokhara Airport (April 2000)
Yeti Airlines Jetstream 41 at Pokhara Airport (2019)
Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 at Gautam Buddha Airport

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.[8]

History

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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.[9][10]

In late 2023, Asian Life Asian Life Insurance Co. Ltd.[11] took over a 49% stake of Yeti Airlines Ltd and that the company would issue an IPO.[12]

International operations

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In 2007, Yeti Airlines launched Fly Yeti as a joint venture with Air Arabia.[13] Due to political uncertainty, the airline ceased its operations in 2008.[14]

In 2013, the European Commission banned all Nepalese airlines from entering the European airspace. This restriction is still in place as of April 2024. [15][16]

In 2014, Yeti Airlines launched Himalaya Airlines, another international joint venture.[17]

Yeti World

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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.[18][19]

In December 2019, Yeti World made headlines, as it was involved in a corruption case around Prime Minister K.P. Oli.[19]

Destinations

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Yeti Airlines offers scheduled flights to the following destinations (as of July 2023):[20]

Destination Airport Notes
Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport Hub
Bajhang[21] Bajhang Airport Terminated
Bajura[21] Bajura Airport Terminated
Bhadrapur Bhadrapur Airport
Bhairahawa Gautam Buddha Airport
Bharatpur Bharatpur Airport Terminated
Biratnagar Biratnagar Airport
Birendranagar[21] Surkhet Airport Terminated
Dang[21] Dang Airport Terminated
Dhangadhi Dhangadhi Airport Terminated
Janakpur Janakpur Airport
Jitpursimara[22] Simara Airport
Jomsom[21] Jomsom Airport Terminated
Jumla[21] Jumla Airport Terminated
Lamidanda[21] Lamidanda Airport Terminated
Lukla[21] Lukla Airport Terminated
Manang[21] Manang Airport Terminated
Meghauli[21] Meghauli Airport Terminated
Nepalgunj Nepalgunj Airport
Phaplu[21] Phaplu Airport Terminated
Pokhara Pokhara Airport Terminated
Pokhara International Airport
Rara[21] Rara Airport Terminated
Rukum[21] Rukumkot Airport Terminated
Rukum[21] Rukum Salle Airport Terminated
Rumjatar[21] Rumjatar Airport Terminated
Sanphebagar[21] Sanphebagar Airport Terminated
Taplejung[21] Taplejung Airport Terminated
Tumlingtar Tumlingtar Airport Terminated

Yeti Airlines also operates the one-hour-long Everest Express scheduled mountain sightseeing flights from Kathmandu to Mount Everest[23] and Annapurna Express mountain sightseeing flights from Pokhara to Annapurna Massif.[24]

Codeshare agreements

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Yeti Airlines has a codeshare agreement with its subsidiary Tara Air.[25]

Fleet

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Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500
 
A former Yeti Airlines BAe Jetstream 41 in 2013.
 
A former Yeti Airlines de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter in 2001

Current fleet

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As of 2024, Yeti Airlines operates the following aircraft:

Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Total Seats
C Y Total
ATR 72-500 7[26]
70 70 490
ATR 72-600 3[27] 78 78
Total 7 3 490

Historical fleet

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Yeti Airlines also formerly operated these types of aircraft:

Yeti Airlines historical fleet since 1998
Aircraft Introduced Retired Notes
BAe Jetstream 41 2007[28] 2021[29]
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 1998 2009 Transferred to subsidiary Tara Air
Dornier 228 2009 2009 Transferred to subsidiary Tara Air
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante[30] 1999 ?[clarification needed]
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia[31] 2000 2001
Harbin Y-12[32] 1995 2001 Stored indefinitely at Tribhuvan International Airport[33]
Saab 340B[34] 2004 2007 Stored indefinitely at Tribhuvan International Airport[35]

Accidents and incidents

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  • 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.[36]
  • 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.[37]
  • 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.[38]
  • 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.[39]
  • 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.[40]
  • 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.[41]
  • 15 January 2023 – Yeti Airlines Flight 691: Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 (registration 9N-ANC) en route from Tribhuvan International Airport to Pokhara International Airport crashed near Gharipatan, Pokhara. No one survived among the 68 passengers and four crew members on board, making it the deadliest plane crash in Nepal since 1992.[42][43][44][45]

References

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  1. ^ "Civil Aviation Report 2017" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Sky Club". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Founder of Yeti Airlines". Yeti Airlines.
  4. ^ "Management Team of Yeti Airlines".
  5. ^ "Insurance company buys 49% stake in Nepal's Yeti Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Yeti Airlines becomes Nepal's first carbon neutral airline". UNDP. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  7. ^ Prasain, Sangam (24 February 2023). "Domestic air traffic soars, hits a record 4.46m flyers". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. ^ "HSC, Yeti Airlines renew sponsorship deal". The Himalayan Times. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  9. ^ "History". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Tara Air – Biggest Airline in Nepalese Mountains - Helping Develop the Rural Nepal". Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Insurance company buys 49% stake in Nepal's Yeti Airlines". ch-aviation. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  12. ^ Curran, Andrew. "Yeti Airlines welcoming Asian Life as Partner with 49% stake in response to the escalating Financial Crisis". Ch Aviation. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Yeti Airlines goes international, Orient Thai comes to Nepal". The Himalayan Times. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Air Arabia. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  15. ^ "EU Extends Ban on Nepali Airline Companies". Business Age. 1 December 2023.
  16. ^ "LEGAL NOTICE" (PDF). European Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Himalaya conducts 'proving' flight". The Kathmandu Post. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  18. ^ "About us". Yeti World. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  19. ^ a b "How Yeti Group benefited from its connections with PM Oli". Republica News. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Scheduled Flights". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "INTERACTIVE MAP". Yeti Airlines. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Yeti Airlines scheduled to fly Simara after 12 years". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Everest Express". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Annapurna Express". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  25. ^ "Lukla Tenzing Hillary Airport". FlightRadar24. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Fleet Details". Yeti Airlines. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  27. ^ "एटीआर ७२-६०० सिरिजका जहाज भित्र्याउने". Bizmandu.com. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  28. ^ "पाँच जेटस्ट्रिमबाट फेरिँदैछन् यतीको लोगो, यही साता गुण एयरलाइन्सलाई हस्तान्तरण गरिँदै" (in Nepali). Bizmandu. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  29. ^ "Guna Airlines preparing for flights with Jetstream 41". Avia Tech Channel. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  30. ^ Yeti Airlines Calendar 2075. Kathmandu: Yeti Airlines.
  31. ^ "REGISTRATION SEARCH FOR C-GFKB". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  32. ^ "REGISTRATION SEARCH FOR 9N-AFO". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  33. ^ "YETI AIRLINES - FLEET". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  34. ^ airfleets.net - Saab 340 in the history of Yeti Airlines retrieved 15 January 2023
  35. ^ "REGISTRATION SEARCH FOR 9N-AHL". Planelogger. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  36. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 9N-AFD Lukla". Flight Safety Foundation. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  37. ^ Accident description for 9N-AEQ at the Aviation Safety Network
  38. ^ "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.
  39. ^ "Yeti Airlines 9N-AIB Escaped from an accident". Aviation Nepal. 24 September 2016.
  40. ^ "Yeti Airlines aircraft skids off runway". The Himalayan Times. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  41. ^ "Pokhara plane crash: A look at the long history of aircraft incidents in Nepal". INDIA TODAY. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  42. ^ "Nepal Plane With 72 On Board Crashes, 41 Bodies Found, More Feared Dead". NDTV.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  43. ^ "Yeti Airlines aircraft crashes in Pokhara". The Kathmandu Post. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  44. ^ "Nepal: Passenger plane crashes on runway of Pokhara Airport, 16 killed". mint. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  45. ^ Twitter [1]
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