Tara Air

Last updated
Tara Air
Tara Air logo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign
TB [1] TRA [lower-alpha 1] TARA AIR
Founded2009;15 years ago (2009)
Hubs Tribhuvan International Airport
Secondary hubs
Fleet size7
Destinations15
Parent company Yeti Airlines
Headquarters Kathmandu, Nepal
Key people Ang Tshering Sherpa, Founder
Website www.taraair.com

Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. is an airline headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. [3] 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 a secondary hub at Nepalgunj Airport. The airline operates scheduled flights and air charter services with a fleet of STOL aircraft, previously provided by Yeti Airlines. Its operations focus on serving remote and mountainous airports and airstrips. [4]

Contents

History

Tara Air was formed in 2009 when Yeti Airlines split its STOL aircraft operations from its regional operations. [5] The airline's STOL operations were rebranded as Tara Air and focused on providing services into remote and mountainous airports and airstrips. [6]

Destinations

Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter at Jomsom Airport Tara Air Twin Otter in Jomsom.jpg
Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter at Jomsom Airport
Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter at Simikot Airport Humla airport.JPG
Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter at Simikot Airport
Tara Air Dornier 228 at Tenzing-Hillary Airport DO 228 Tara Air.jpg
Tara Air Dornier 228 at Tenzing-Hillary Airport

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. [2]

DestinationAirportNotesRefs.
Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport Hub
Nepalgunj Nepalgunj Airport Focus city
Pokhara Pokhara Airport Focus city
Bajhang Bajhang Airport Terminated [7]
Bajura Bajura Airport
Bhojpur Bhojpur Airport [8]
Birendranagar Surkhet Airport Terminated [7]
Bowang Dhorpatan Airport Terminated [7]
Diktel Khanidanda Airport
Dolpa Dolpa Airport
Jiri Jiri Airport Terminated [7]
Jomsom Jomsom Airport
Jumla Jumla Airport
Lukla Tenzing-Hillary Airport
Lamidanda Lamidanda Airport
Langtang Langtang Airport Terminated [7]
Manang Manang Airport Terminated
Manthali Ramechhap Airport [9]
Phaplu Phaplu Airport
Rara Talcha Airport
Rumjatar Rumjatar Airport
Rukum Rukumkot Airport Terminated [7]
Rukum Rukum Salle Airport Terminated [7]
Sanphebagar Sanphebagar Airport Terminated
Simikot Simikot Airport
Syangboche Syangboche Airport Terminated

Codeshare agreements

Tara Air has a codeshare agreement with its mother company Yeti Airlines. [10]

Fleet

Tara Air's fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of June 2022): [11] [12] [13] [ better source needed ]

Tara Air fleet
AircraftIn FleetOrdersPassengersNotes
CYTotal
Dornier 228 201919
de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter 201919
Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter 101818
Pilatus PC-6 Porter 2077
Total7

Accidents and incidents

Tara Air has been considered one of the "most unsafe airlines" due to several significant incidents. [13] [ better source needed ]

Notes

  1. Tara Air has no registered ICAO code allocated, but uses 'TRA' on scheduling, ticketing and baggage (as an official ICAO code would be used). However, officially, the ICAO Code 'TRA' is allocated to Transavia. [2]

Related Research Articles

Nepal Airlines Corporation, formerly known as Royal Nepal Airlines, is the flag carrier of Nepal. Founded in 1958, it is the oldest airline of the country. Out of its main base at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, the airline operates domestic services within Nepal and medium-haul services in Asia. The airline's first aircraft was a Douglas DC-3, used to serve domestic routes and a handful of destinations in India. The airline acquired its first jet aircraft, Boeing 727s, in 1972. As of February 2023, the airline operates a fleet of six aircraft. Since 2013, the airline has been on the list of air carriers banned in the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeti Airlines</span> Nepalese airline

Yeti Airlines Pvt. Ltd. is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The airline was established in May 1998 and received its air operator's certificate on 17 August 1998. Since 2019, Yeti Airlines is the first carbon neutral airline in Nepal and South Asia. It is the parent company of Tara Air. As of 2022, Yeti Airlines was the second-largest domestic carrier in Nepal, after Buddha Air.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribhuvan International Airport</span> Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal

Tribhuvan International Airport is an international airport located in Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal. It has a tabletop runway, a domestic terminal and an international terminal. As the country's main international airport, it connects Nepal to over 40 destinations in 17 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pokhara Airport</span> Airport in Nepal

Pokhara Airport is a domestic airport serving Pokhara in Nepal. Pokhara Airport will be gradually replaced by Nepal's third international airport, Pokhara International Airport, in 2023. While most operations were transferred to the new airport on 1 January 2023, the STOL-operations to Jomsom are still operated from this airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenzing-Hillary Airport</span> Airport in Lukla, Nepal

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is a domestic airport and altiport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu Pasanglhamu, Solukhumbu District, Koshi Province of Nepal. It gained worldwide fame as it was rated the most dangerous airport in the world for more than 20 years by a program titled Most Extreme Airports, broadcast on The History Channel in 2010.

Sita Air is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating domestic services within Nepal. The airline was established in 2003. The airline's main base is Tribhuvan International Airport with hubs at Pokhara Airport and Nepalgunj Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biratnagar Airport</span> Airport

Biratnagar Airport is a domestic airport located in Biratnagar serving Morang District, Koshi Province, Nepal. Biratnagar Airport is the third busiest airport in Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara. There are plans to upgrade the airport to serve international flights very soon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomsom Airport</span> Domestic airport serving Jomsom, Gandaki Province, Nepal

Jomsom Airport is a domestic airport located in Jomsom serving Mustang District, a district in Gandaki Province in Nepal. It serves as the gateway to Mustang District that includes Jomsom, Kagbeni, Tangbe, and Lo Manthang, and Muktinath temple, which is a popular pilgrimage for Nepalis and Indian pilgrims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumla Airport</span> Airport

Jumla Airport is a domestic airport located in Jumla serving Jumla District, a district in Karnali Province in Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surkhet Airport</span> Airport in Nepal

Surkhet Airport, also known as Birendranagar Airport is a domestic airport located in Birendranagar serving Surkhet District, a district in Karnali Province in Nepal. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal considers it an important hub for cargo transport into remote Western areas of Nepal, however this role is declining due to increasing road connectivity. Buddha Air has started daily flights to and from Kathmandu since 22 December, 2022 using its ATR-72 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeti Airlines Flight 101</span> 2008 aviation accident

Yeti Airlines Flight 101 was a domestic flight in Nepal, that crashed on final approach to Tenzing-Hillary Airport in the town of Lukla in eastern Nepal on 8 October 2008. The De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300 registered as 9N-AFE originated from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramechhap Airport</span> Airport

Ramechhap Airport is a domestic airport serving the municipality of Manthali, the district headquarters of Ramechhap District located in the Tamakoshi River valley in Bagmati Province in Nepal. As of October 2022, most flights to Lukla Airport are operated from Ramechhap Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepal Airlines Flight 555</span> 2013 aviation accident

Nepal Airlines Flight 555 was a short domestic scheduled flight from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport in Nepal of about 20 minutes' flying time, operated by Nepal Airlines. On 16 May 2013 the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft operating the flight crashed while landing at Jomsom Airport. Seven of the twenty-one on board were seriously injured. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepal Airlines Flight 183</span> 2014 aviation accident in Nepal

Nepal Airlines Flight 183 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by a DHC-6 Twin Otter that on 16 February 2014 crashed into a hill near Dhikura, Nepal.

Summit Air, formerly known as Goma Air, is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The airline operates from short takeoff and landing airstrips in the Western parts of Nepal. The airline received the first of two Let 410 aircraft, financed by the Czech Republic Export Bank., in October 2014, and initially only used them on flights to Lukla and Jomsom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Air Flight 193</span> 2016 passenger plane crash in Dana, Nepal

Tara Air Flight 193 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Pokhara to Jomsom, Nepal. On 24 February 2016, eight minutes after take-off, the aircraft serving the flight, a Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter went missing with 23 people on board. Hours later, the wreckage was found near the village of Dana, Myagdi District. There were no survivors. It was Tara Air's deadliest accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Yeti Airlines Twin Otter crash</span> Aviation accident in Nepal

On 21 June 2006, when approaching Jumla Airport, Nepal, a Yeti Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed into the ground after the crew decided to abort the landing and perform a go-around for an unknown reason. Eyewitnesses said that the plane appeared to have stalled while making a tight turn on the threshold of runway 27 and ploughed into the ground in a ball of fire on the eastern edge of the runway.

Pokhara International Airport is an international airport in Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal. It is located 3 km (1.9 mi) east of the old domestic airport, which it will gradually replace. The airport is Nepal's third international airport and officially began operations on 1 January 2023, with STOL-operations to Jomsom still being operated from the old airport. The airport is expected to handle up to one million passengers per year, but as of 2024 there has not been any regular international flights.

Yashodhara Air is an upcoming Nepalese airline set up by Buddha Air aimed at serving STOL-services to remote airfields in Nepal from two bases, Ramechhap Airport and Pokhara Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Air Flight 197</span> Passenger plane crash in Nepal

Tara Air Flight 197 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Tara Air for parent company Yeti Airlines from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport in Nepal. On 29 May 2022, the Twin Otter aircraft carrying 22 people departed at 09:55 NPT and lost contact with air traffic controllers about 12 minutes later at 10:07 (04:22). The wreckage was located 20 hours later on a mountainside. All 22 passengers and crew were killed, and all 22 bodies were recovered. This was Tara Air's second deadly accident on this route, after Flight 193 in 2016.

References

  1. "Airline Code Search Result". Av Codes. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Flight Schedule". Tara Air. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. "Profile on Tara Air | CAPA". Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  4. "About Us". Tara Air. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  5. "About Us". Tara Air. Archived from the original on 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  6. "Explore Nepal Archived 2011-10-30 at the Wayback Machine ." (Archive) Tara Air. Retrieved on 29 December 2011. "Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. Tilganga, Kathmandu, GPO Box 20011"
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Route Map". Tara Air. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010.
  8. "Tara Air starts flight to Bhojpur". The Himalayan Times . 30 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. "Domestic airline companies issue travel alert for passengers". The Himalayan Times. April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  10. "Lukla Tenzing Hillary Airport". FlightRadar24. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  11. "Tara Air to merge with Yeti Airlines for providing better service". Aviation Nepal. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  12. "Tara Air". rz jets. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. 1 2 Asquith, James. "The 2019 List Of The Most Dangerous Airlines In The World". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  14. Nepalnews.com [ permanent dead link ], accessed December 6, 2010
  15. Aviation Safety Network
  16. "All passengers killed in Nepal plane crash". BBC News. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
  17. 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.
  18. "Accident description" . Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  19. "Plane crashes in Nepal midway through 19-minute flight; 23 feared dead". CNN . 24 February 2016.
  20. "Tara Air's Plane Slipped Off At Ramechhap Airport". Spotlight Nepal. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  21. Cost, Ben (7 December 2021). "Passengers forced to push plane down runway after tire ruptures". New York Post. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  22. "Twin Otter in Nepal im Himalaya abgestürzt" [Twin Otter crashed in the Himalayas in Nepal]. aeroTELEGRAPH (in Swiss High German). 29 May 2022. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Tara Air at Wikimedia Commons