Fishtail Air

Last updated
Fishtail Air Pvt. Ltd.
Fishtail Air logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
———
Founded1997
AOC # 017/2001 [1]
Hubs Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu)
Fleet size4
HeadquartersSinamangal, Kathmandu
Key peopleSuman Pandey (CEO) [2]
Website www.fishtailair.com/

Fishtail Air Pvt. Ltd., from 2018 to 2020 known as Summit Helicopters Pvt. Ltd., is a helicopter airline based at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating chartered helicopter services. The company was established in 1997 under the Air Operators Certificate issued by the Government of Nepal. The company operates domestic chartered helicopter flights throughout Nepal and rescue missions. [3] [4] It also carries out and also international chartered flights to Bhutan and India. [3]

Contents

History

The Airline was founded under the name Fishtail Air in 1997 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The airline often made headlines in local press after performing unusual yet successful rescue missions in the Himalayas. [5]

Due to the Nepalese Civil War, Fishtail Air did not operate between 2003 and 2007. [6]

In 2010, Fishtail Air was part of a documentary by Swiss Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, titled The mountain rescuers in the Himalayas wherein the Swiss Airline Air Zermatt and Fishtail Air were establishing a mountaineering rescue station in Lukla. [7] [8] [9] At the same time, mountaineer Simone Moro started working as a pilot for Fishtail Air. [10]

In 2014, Fishtail Air signed a deal with Goma Air with the aim of enhancing Nepal's tourism. Both Airlines were at the time led by Bikash JB Rana, for which a collaboration was eased. [11] [12] Following Goma Air's name change to Summit Air, [13] in 2018, Fishtail Air changed its name to Summit Helicopters to visualize the cooperation on 11 June 2018. [14] [15] On 15 January 2020, the original name Fishtail Air was restored. [16]

Seasonally, Fishtail Air operates one helicopter from Simikot Airport, for which the airport serves as a seasonal hub of the airline. From Simikot, Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are served. [17]

Fleet

The Fishtail Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2018): [2]

Fishtail Air fleet
AircraftIn FleetOrdersPassengersNotes
CYTotal
Eurocopter AS350 B3e 20055 [18]
Eurocopter AS350 B3+ 10055 [19]
Bell Jet Ranger 206 10044 [20]
Total40

Accidents and incidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil</span> Single engine series of the Ecureuil light helicopter family

The Airbus Helicopters H125 is a single-engine light utility helicopter designed and originally manufactured by the French corporation Aérospatiale, and later by Eurocopter. In North America, the H125 is marketed as the AStar. The AS355 Ecureuil 2 is a twin-engine variant, marketed in North America as the TwinStar.

<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. The airport has gained worldwide fame, both for its unusual location, but also because 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurocopter Fennec</span> Helicopter in France

The EurocopterAS550 Fennec and AS555 Fennec 2 are lightweight, multipurpose military helicopters manufactured by Eurocopter Group. Based on the AS350 Ecureuil and AS355 Ecureuil 2 series, they are named after the fennec fox. The armed versions of the AS550 and AS555 can be fitted with coaxial weapons, rockets, torpedoes and various other munitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawan Hans Limited</span> Central Public Sector Undertaking

Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) is a transport service operated as a central public sector undertaking based at Noida in Delhi NCR, India. It is a Mini Ratna-I category PSU under the ownership of Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Government of India. It has cumulatively flown more than 1 million hours and has had 2.5 million landings on its fleet since its formation. The registered office is located in New Delhi. The corporate headquarter is located at Sector-1 in Noida with regional office at New Delhi, Mumbai and Guwahati. The operations are based at the Juhu Aerodrome in Vile Parle (West), Mumbai.

Karnali Air Pvt. Ltd. was a helicopter airline based at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating chartered helicopter services. It merged with Necon Air in 2001 but kept operating under its name.

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

Shree Airlines Pvt. Ltd. is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating domestic services within Nepal, including chartered helicopter flights. The airline also conducts charter flights & air ambulance service to international destinations. As of 2024, Shree Airlines is the third largest domestic carrier in Nepal by passenger carried and second largest by fleet size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil 2</span> Utility helicopter in France

The EurocopterAS355 Écureuil 2 is a twin-engine light utility helicopter developed and originally manufactured by Aérospatiale in France.

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

Simikot Airport is a domestic airport located in Simikot serving Humla District, a district in Karnali Province in Nepal. It is the main tourist gateway on the Nepalese side to the Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. As road access in this area of Nepal is weak, the airport facilitates travel in the whole district of Humla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Air</span> Nepalese airline

Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. is an airline headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. 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.

Didier Delsalle is a fighter pilot and helicopter test pilot. On May 14, 2005, he became the first person to land a helicopter, the Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel, on the 8,848 m (29,030 ft) summit of Mount Everest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makalu Air</span>

Makalu Air Pvt. Ltd is an airline based in Nepalgunj, Nepal. The company was established in 2009 and was issued an air operator's certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Makalu Air provides chartered passenger and cargo services.

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.

Manang Air Pvt. Ltd. is a helicopter airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal and was founded in 1997 and has been operating helicopters in commercial air transportation within the Nepalese territory under the Regulation of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The company provides chartered services and is focused on personalized services such as adventure flights helicopter excursions or expedition work. It is the only Approved Training Organization in Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Dynasty</span> Nepalese helicopter airline

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Fishtail Air Eurocopter AS350 crash</span> Aviation accident

The 2001 Fishtail Air Eurocopter AS350 crash occurred on 12 November 2001, when a chartered Fishtail Air Eurocopter AS350 helicopter crashed on a flight from Gamgadhi Army Base to Surkhet in Western Nepal. The accident killed all 6 passengers and crew on board, including Princess Prekshya Shah of Nepal.

Altitude Air Pvt. Ltd is a charter helicopter airline based in Tribhuvan International Airport and Sinamangal, Kathmandu. The company began operations in 2016 and mainly carries out rescue and charter flights.. In 2024, Altitude Air successfully retrieved the bodies of five deceased Russian climbers at 7000 meters, after numerous other companies were unable to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simrik Air</span> Nepalese helicopter airline

Simrik Air Pvt. Ltd. is a helicopter airline based at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. It operates chartered helicopter services. The company was established in 2001. It was a partner of Simrik Airlines, which operates scheduled fixed-wing services, until latter airline was rebranded as Guna Airlines in 2021. Simrik Air also partners with Swiss helicopter operator Air Zermatt, which helps with pilot training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Air Dynasty helicopter crash</span> 2019 aviation accident in Nepal

On February 27, 2019, an Air Dynasty Eurocopter AS350 B3e carrying six passengers and one pilot was scheduled to fly a domestic chartered flight from Pathibhara Devi Temple in Taplejung to Chuhandanda in Tehrathum, Nepal. The aircraft crashed at approximately 1.30 p.m. (NPT) whilst in bad weather in Taplejung. All seven people on board died in the crash, including Rabindra Prasad Adhikari, Nepal's Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Air Zermatt AG is a Swiss airline and flight school based in Zermatt. The company has an office at the Aéroport de Sion in the canton of Valais and bases in Gampel, Raron and Zermatt. It employs approximately 65 people.

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Aviation Report 2017" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Fishtail Air signs first Airbus Helicopters' HCare Smart Contract in Nepal". Aviation Nepal. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Helicopter Charter in Nepal". Fishtail Air. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Fishtail Air Pvt. Ltd". Fishtail Air. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Fishtail Air & Air Zermatt carries out the highest longline rescue in history". Fishtail Air. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Thakuri, Dikshya (6 January 2007). "Fishtail all set to fly again". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Bergretter im Himalaya - Wenn der Mensch über sich hinauswächst" (in German). SRF. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "The mountain rescuers in the Himalayas – DVD". Air Zermatt. Retrieved 1 November 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Swiss National Television follows Helicopter Rescue in the Himalayas". Fishtail Air. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  10. 1 2 dAngella, Valentina (19 June 2013). "Himalaya, si schianta l'elicottero di Simone Moro: un morto e 5 feriti" (in Italian). Montagna. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "Fishtail Air and Goma Air collaborate on Nepal tourism". HeliHub.com. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Fishtail Air and Goma Air coordinate to boost the Adventure Tourism of Nepal". Fishtail Air. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  13. ↑ ""Goma Air" officially changed name to "Summit Air"". Aviation Nepal. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Manandhar, Shivesh (11 June 2018). "Fishtail Air gets new official name 'Summit Helicopters'". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "Announcement of Company Name Change". Summit Helicopters. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Announcement of Company Name Change". Fishtail Air. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Fishtail Air moves AS350B3 to Simikot for summer season". HeliHub.com. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Eurocopter AS350 B3e" . Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  19. ↑ "Fishtail Air Eurocopter AS350 B3+" . Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  20. ↑ "Fishtail Air BELL - Jet Ranger 206B". Fishtail Air. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  21. ↑ Khatri, Rishi (16 November 2001). "The princess had asked the pilot to circle Rara for a better view..." The Nepali Times. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  22. ↑ "Pilots to blame for Fishtail chopper crash: Probe". Jan 7, 2011. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-20.
  23. ↑ "7 including newborn confirmed dead in Fishtail chopper crash". The Himalayan Times. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  24. ↑ "Pilot stress blamed for Fishtail chopper crash". The Kathmandu Post. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2018.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.