Agni Air
अग्नि एयर
IATA ICAO Callsign
AG[lower-alpha 1] - Agni
Founded2006
Ceased operations2013 (2013)
AOC #039/2005[2]
HubsTribhuvan International Airport
Secondary hubsTenzing-Hillary Airport
Fleet size6 (at closure)
Destinations8 (at closure)
HeadquartersKathmandu, Nepal
Key peopleMr. Sudhir Basnyat (Chairman)

Agni Air Pvt. Ltd. (Nepali: अग्नि एयर प्रा. ली.) was an airline based in Kathmandu, operating domestic services within Nepal. It started operations in March 2006.[3][4] The airline ceased operations in November 2012.[5]

History

Agni Air, named after the sanskrit word,[6] commenced operations on 16 March 2006 by connecting Kathmandu to Lukla and Tumlingtar using a single Dornier 228 and started flying to Biratnagar the next day.[7] The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal granted Agni Air an air operators certificate, allowing it to operate scheduled flights, as well as mountain flights.[8]

The airline's corporate design including the slogan fly the friendly sky was developed by Christian Kracht and Eckhart Nickel after an invitation of tender in 2005. They claim to have never received the 500 Euro royalty.[9]

In 2013, following two accidents and financial difficulties, the airline was taken over by Namaste Air, a Nepalese start-up carrier,[10] which itself never started operations. Upon Agni Air's closure, the remaining aircraft were leased out to Simrik Airlines.[11]

Destinations

Agni Air Dornier 228 at Lukla Airport (April 2010)

Agni Air regularly served the following destinations, which were cancelled either at the closure of operations or before:[1]

City Airport Notes Refs
BhadrapurBhadrapur Airport
BhairahawaGautam Buddha Airport
BiratnagarBiratnagar Airport
JomsomJomsom Airport
KathmanduTribhuvan International AirportHub
LuklaTenzing–Hillary Airport
PokharaPokhara Airport
TumlingtarTumlingtar Airport

Fleet

At the time of closure, Agni Air operated the following aircraft:[7]

Agni Air Fleet
AircraftIn fleetNotes
Dornier 2283
Jetstream 413

Accidents and incidents

  • On 24 August 2010, Agni Air Flight 101, a Dornier 228, crashed after the crew decided to return and to divert to Simara Airport (VNSI/SIF) due to poor weather conditions at Kathmandu. News reports indicate that the airplane suffered a generator failure and ATC contact was lost around 7:30 am LT. 14 including 6 foreigners killed.[12]
  • On 14 May 2012, an Agni Air Dornier 228 en route to Jomsom airport (VNJS/JMO), crashed 125 miles from its original location in Kathmandu, killing 15 of the 21 people on board.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Agni Air had no registered IATA code allocated, but used 'AG' on scheduling, ticketing and baggage (as an official IATA code would be used). However, officially, the IATA Code 'AG' is allocated to Aruba Airlines.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Flying Schedule". Agni Air. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "Civil Aviation Report 2010" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "How to find Us Archived January 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Agni Air. Retrieved on 24 August 2010. "Agni Air Pvt. Ltd."
  4. ↑ "Contact Us Archived November 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Agni Air. Retrieved on 24 August 2010.
  5. ↑ "Simrik Airlines to fly Agni's planes". Ekantipur. 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Hardiman, Jake (13 May 2022). "The Story Of Troubled Nepalese Carrier Agni Air". Simple Flying. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 Nepalshotel.com Archived November 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Hotelnepal.com Archived 2006-11-14 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 19 November 2006
  9. ↑ Bronner, Steffan; Weyland, Björn (2018). Christian Krachts Weltliteratur: Eine Topographie. Munich: De Gruyter. ISBN 978-3110532159.
  10. ↑ "Namaste Air takes over troubled Agni Air management". Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "Simrik Airlines to fly Agni's planes". Ekantipur. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Aviation Safety Network retrieved 24 August 2010
  13. ↑ "Nepal Plane Crash: Aircraft Carrying 21 People Crashes While Trying To Land At Mountain Ceased Operation on 2013 by Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Airstrip". Huffington Post. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.



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