Tara Air
| File:Tara Air logo.jpg | |||||||
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| Founded | 2009 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Kathmandu | ||||||
| Fleet size | 9 (+1 order) | ||||||
| Destinations | 14 | ||||||
| Parent company | Yeti Airlines | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||||
| Key people | Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa | ||||||
| Website | http://www.taraair.com/ | ||||||
Tara Air Pvt.Ltd is an airline with its head office in Kathmandu, Nepal.[1] It is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines. Tara Air was formed in 2009 using aircraft from the Yeti Airlines fleet and is based at Tribhuvan International Airport, with secondary hubs at Surkhet and Nepalgunj airports. The airline operates scheduled and charter STOL services, previously provided by Yeti Airlines Domestic. Its operations focus on serving remote and mountainous airports and airstrips.
Tara Air flies to a number of scheduled destinations, as well as offering charter services. It operates a fleet of 9 aircraft which are especially suitable for flying into remote airports.
History
Tara Air was formed in 2009 when Yeti Airlines split its STOL operations from its regional operations.[2] The airlines' STOL operations were rebranded as Tara Air and focused on providing services into remote and mountainous airports and airstrips.[3]
Destinations
The airline operates scheduled domestic flights to a number of destinations as well as offering air charter services. Tara Air operates daily scheduled flights between Kathmandu and Lukla, and between Jomsom and Pokhara. Other destinations are served at varying frequency.[4]
| Destination | Code (IATA) | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu | KTM | Tribhuvan International Airport | Hub |
| Pokhara | PKR | Pokhara Airport | |
| Phaplu | PPL | Phaplu Airport | |
| Bhojpur | BHP | Bhojpur Airport | [5] |
| Lukla | LUA | Tenzing-Hillary Airport | |
| Rumjatar | RUM | Rumjatar Airport | |
| Lamidanda | LDM | Lamidanda Airport | |
| Nepalgunj | KEP | Nepalgunj Airport | |
| Dolpa | DOP | Dolpa Airport | |
| Rara | TAL | Talcha Airport | |
| Simikot | IMK | Simikot Airport | |
| Jumla | JUM | Jumla Airport | |
| Bajura | BJU | Bajura Airport | |
| Jomsom | JMO | Jomsom Airport |
Fleet
Tara Air operates several aircraft that were previously operated under the Yeti Airlines brand. These aircraft have now been re-branded in Tara Air livery, which uses an almost identical colour scheme to Yeti Airlines.[6][7]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Dornier Do 228 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 19 | |
| Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 2 originally delivered. One crashed on February 24, 2016[8] |
| Total | 9 | 0 | ||||
Previously operated
Accidents and incidents
- On 26 May 2010 a Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter had taken off from Birendranagar Airport In Surkhet heading for Talcha Airport in Rara with 18 passengers and 3 crew on board. At 10 am the aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Birendranagar Airport after its cabin door suddenly opened five minutes after take-off. Tara Air officials said that the cabin attendant managed to lock the door immediately after it opened to avert any possible mishaps.[9]
- On 15 December 2010 a Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed shortly after takeoff from Lamidanda Airport in Nepal; it was en route to Kathmandu.[10] Two helicopters were dispatched to search for the plane, which was discovered in heavily-mountainous terrain. All 19 passengers (18 Bhutanese and one American) and 3 flight crew were killed.[11]
- On 23 June 2011, Dornier Do 228 9N-AGQ was substantially damaged in a heavy landing and runway excursion at Simikot Airport, Nepal. The aircraft was operating a cargo flight from Nepalgunj Airport.[12]
- On 24 February 2016, Tara Air Flight 193, 9N-AHH, went missing shortly after take off whilst traveling to Pokhara-Jomsom. It was later found that the aircraft crashed into the mountainous northern region killing 23 people including two babies and three crew members. [13]
References
- ^ "Profile on Tara Air | CAPA". Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- ^ "About Us". Tara Air. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- ^ "Explore Nepal." (Archive) Tara Air. Retrieved on 29 December 2011. "Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. Tilganga, Kathmandu, GPO Box 20011"
- ^ Tara Air.com scheduled flights, accessed March 8, 2015
- ^ "Tara Air starts flight to Bhojpur". The Himalayan Times. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Yeti Airlines.com, accessed December 6, 2010
- ^ "Welcome to Tara Air". Tara Air. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20160224-0
- ^ Nepalnews.com, accessed December 6, 2010
- ^ Aviation Safety Network
- ^ "All passengers killed in Nepal plane crash". BBC News. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon. "Accident: Tara D228 at Simikot on Jun 23rd 2011, hard landing results in runway excursion and gear collapse". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/24/asia/nepal-missing-plane/
External links
