Air Dynasty
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| |||||||
| Founded | 1993 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | 035/2001[4] | ||||||
| Hubs | Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu) | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Pokhara Airport (Pokhara), Tenzing–Hillary Airport (Lukla)[5] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Parent company | Yeti Group[6] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||||
| Key people | Malcolm Smith (Chairman)[7] | ||||||
| Website | http://www.airdynastyheli.com | ||||||
Air Dynasty Heli Service Pvt. Ltd. is a helicopter airline based at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating chartered helicopter services. The company was established in 1993 and mainly carries out domestic chartered helicopter flights throughout Nepal from its three hubs in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Lukla.[5][1]
History
[edit]Air Dynasty was founded in 1993 in Kathmandu, Nepal, by Ang Tshering Sherpa, who later also founded Yeti Airlines.[8] In 2001, the airline received a foreign direct investment from British businessman Malcolm Roy Smith, who held 50% of the airline and served as the chairman.[9] In 2005, the airline partnered with the Bhutanese flag carrier Druk Air, to which a Eurocopter helicopter was leased, after the government of Bhutan decided to introduce helicopter charter services in the country.[10] In 2013, the European Commission banned all Nepalese airlines from entering European airspace. This restriction is still in place as of January 2023 and specifically also regards Air Dynasty.[11][12]
Fleet
[edit]Current fleet
[edit]The Air Dynasty fleet consists of these aircraft (as of May 2019):[5][13][14]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Eurocopter AS350 B3e | 1 | 1[15] | 0 | 5 | 5 | |
| Eurocopter AS350 FXII | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | |
| Eurocopter AS350 BA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | |
| Total | 4 | 1 | ||||
Former fleet
[edit]| Aircraft | Operated | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||
| Airbus H125[16] | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Crashed on 27 February 2019[17] |
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- 26 September 2013 – An Air Dynasty Eurocopter AS 350 helicopter crashed after landing at Lukla Airport. The helicopter's tail touched a fence, causing it to crash. All four people on board escaped the accident alive, but the aircraft was written off.[18][19]
- 27 February 2019 – An Airbus H125 crashed in Taplejung while operating a charter flight. All seven persons on board, including Nepal's tourism minister, Rabindra Prasad Adhikari, were killed.[17][20]
- 7 August 2024 – An Eurocopter AS350 flying from Kathmandu to Syaprubeshi crashed into a forested mountain in Suryachaur, Nuwakot District, killing all four Chinese passengers on board and the pilot.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Us". Air Dynasty. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "Air Dynasty Heli Services". HotelNepal.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ "Air Dynasty Helicopter Service". I am Kathmandu. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ "Civil Aviation Report 2017" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ a b c "Air dynasty operating service from three bases around the country". Aviation Nepal. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "How Yeti Group benefited from its connections with PM Oli". Republica News. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ "Air Dynasty acquires new chopper". The Himalayan Times. 16 February 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ "Ang Tshering Sherpa, aviation pioneer and hospitality entrepreneur, dies in a helicopter crash". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "AN INVESTMENT GUIDE TO NEPAL Opportunities and conditions" (PDF). United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. January 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Acharya, Gopilal (19 January 2006). "Domestic helicopter service picks up". Kuensel. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
- ^ "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 2017-02-25. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "Our Fleet". Air Dynasty. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "Air Dynasty receives its new factory made H125 '9N-AMI' chopper". Aviation Nepal. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ^ "Air Dynasty new chopper to arrive within a week". Aviation Nepal. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ "9N-AMI ( AS350 H125)". Air Dynasty. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ a b "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 222317". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ "Chopper crashes in Lukla, injures 4". Nepali Reporter. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 160947". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Seven people, including tourism minister, killed in a helicopter crash". The Kathmandu Post. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ "5 people killed in a helicopter crash in the mountains northwest of Nepal's capital". Associated Press. August 7, 2024.
External links
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