Buddha Air marked a milestone

KATHMANDU, APR 19 - Buddha Air marked a milestone on Wednesday by opening its state-of-of-the-art closed-door hangar at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Lokendra Bista Magar opened the facility amid a programme.

The hangar, which occupies 37,000 sq ft,  was  built at the cost of US$ 2.5 million. “The hangar can accommodate an Airbus 320 or a Boeing 737,” said Birendra Basnet, managing director of Buddha Air. The carrier has rented the land from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) for an annual rental of Rs 6.5 million.

Buddha Air said the hangar would also provide commercial maintenance services to other airlines. Its ground handling division, security division, human resource division and general service division are located in the hangar.

The facility has been certified as part 145 Aircraft Maintenance Organization by CAAN. Buddha Air said it was preparing for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operation Safety Audit (IOSA) and has started ISO 9001 audit.

Speaking at the inaugural, Minister Magar lauded the private sector’s investment in aviation infrastructure. “The government’s aviation policy is in favour of facilitating aviation services for the growth of the private sector,” said Magar

Kyle Kelhofer, International Finance Corporation (IFC) country manager for Nepal, said that air transport was crucial for Nepal’s tourism development. The IFC has issued credit to Buddha Air to buy two ATR-42 and an ATR-72.

Established in 1997 with a single 18-seater Beech 1900D aircraft, the airline now owns three Beechcrafts, three 47-seater ATR 42s and two 72-seater ATR 72s. It has a 43.63 percent share of the domestic aviation market.