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Buddha Air, one of Nepal’s top domestic airlines, celebrated its 25th year of operation and organised a meet and greet program with a press conference to recall, cherish & thank everyone for helping them set the benchmark in the Nepalese aviation industry.
Addressing the mass, Buddha Air’s Managing Director, Birendra Bahadur Basnet, said, “I am very thankful that our journey that began on October 11, 1997, has come this far. Our first flight was when Captain Ranjan Kumar Sharma and Captain Kevin St. Germain flew Buddha Air’s first batch of 16 passengers on flight BHA 100 onboard the Beechcraft 1900D.”
Captain Sharma, who was also present at the press meet, shared, “The journey began with a single aircraft, but now we have 16 aeroplanes and 130 pilots. I am beyond ecstatic that the airline is very successful.”
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Buddha Air enjoys about 56% share in the domestic aviation market and is flying more than 8,000 passengers daily. Harkirat Singh Bedi, Business Head, Dabur Nepal, said, “Buddha air has provided all the services for our company’s travel necessities. From our factory location in Birgunj to our headquarter and across the country, we choose Budhha Air for their safety, liability, and top-class customer service.”
“Buddha air has functioned throughout the problematic years, even during the Civil War. We are very thankful for their contribution to our national economy and the people like us in the tourism trade,” said Bibhuti Chand Thakur, chairman of PATA Nepal.
Between 1997 and 2022, Buddha Air has flown over 18 million passengers. Likewise, its aircraft racked up 283,500 flight hours.
The airline started its flights with a Beechcraft 1900D aircraft and today operates a fleet of 16 aircraft, which includes 11 720-seater ATR 500 aircraft, three 47-seater ATR 320 aircraft and two 18-seater Beechcraft 1900 D aircraft. It operates on 43 routes, including an international route to Varanasi, India.
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