Shree Airlines

Shree Airlines Pvt. Ltd. is an airline based in Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal, operating chartered helicopter and scheduled fixed wing services following the delivery of three Bombardier aircraft in 2017.[2][3][4] Shree Airlines also has a helicopter operation sector branded as Shree Air, where its helicopters are certified to carry up to 26 passengers in a one class configuration. The airline also conducts charter and non-charter flights to remote parts of the country and offers cargo charter services. As of 2018, Shree Airlines was the third largest domestic carrier in Nepal, after Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines, with a market share of 15.7%.[5]

Shree Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
N9[1] SHA SHREEAIR
Founded1999
HubsTribhuvan International Airport
Fleet size14
Destinations7
HeadquartersKathmandu
Key peopleSudhir Mittal
Websitewww.shreeairlines.com
www.shreeair.com

History
Shree Airlines CRJ at Tribhuvan International Airport (April 2015)

The airline was founded by Banwari Lal Mittal and was incorporated in the 1990s and was originally called Air Ananya, named after the founder's granddaughter: Ananya Mittal.[6] After a helicopter was burnt at Jiri by Maoists during the Nepalese Civil War and there were a couple of accidents and helicopters hit by bullets, Chairman and CEO Banwari Lal Mittal consulted an astrologer who suggested changing the name of the airline. Thus Air Ananya became Shree Air. According to Mittal, Shree means auspicious beginning.

Shree Air is the largest operator of helicopters in Nepal with a fleet of Mi-17 helicopters. These helicopters are capable of carrying up to 4,000 kilograms (8,800 lb) of cargo or 26 people. Shree Airlines operates both cargo and passenger flights.

Nepal’s then-largest helicopter operator Shree Air diversified into fixed-wing operations by bringing in three jets in 2016 with plans to operate scheduled domestic flights out of Tribhuvan International Airport and investing NPRs 2 billion on its expansion project, these services are operated under the brand name Shree Airlines.[2][6] The airline has acquired two Bombardier CRJ200 and one Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft and launched fixed-wing services on 11 August 2017 using one of the Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft.[7]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, Shree Airlines carried out charter flights to Singapore, marking the airlines' international flight debut.[8]

Services
Passenger cabin

Humanitarian and UN peacekeeping flights

Shree Airlines operated helicopter flights for the World Food Program and the Nepal Food Corporation. These flights delivered food to the hungry and needy in the hard-to-reach parts of Nepal. Shree Airlines has delivered over 8,000,000 kilograms of food to the Nepalese population.[9]

Shree Airlines also operated long term charter flights for the United Nations, in support of peacekeeping operations in Uganda from 2008 to 2014. The UN canceled the contract after the ICAO attached the label "significant safety concern" to all Nepalese airlines. Four Mi-17 helicopters were left abandoned in Uganda after the cancelation of the mission, as the airline did not find it viable to bring the machines back to Nepal.[10] As of September 2016, two Helicopters are still in Africa, while two more helicopters are currently being overhauled.[6]

Religious tourism

Shree Airlines operates helicopter flights to Hilsa in north-west Nepal, which is at the northern border, and is the start point for the Mansarovar and Mount Kailash pilgrimage. The airline operates charter flights to Muktinath, a popular pilgrimage destination in mid-Nepal.[11]

Destinations

Shree Airlines operates scheduled domestic flights to the following destinations as of January, 2020.

DestinationAirportNotes
BhadrapurBhadrapur Airport
BhairahawaGautam Buddha Airport
BiratnagarBiratnagar Airport
DhangadhiDhangadhi Airport
JanakpurJanakpur Airport[12]
KathmanduTribhuvan International AirportHub
NepalgunjNepalgunj Airport
RajbirajRajbiraj Airport[13]

Fleet

The Shree Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of October 2019):

Shree Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Bombardier CRJ200ER 2 — — 50 50 [14]
Bombardier CRJ700 2 — — 70 70 [14][15]
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 2 1 — 78 78 [16]
Mil Mi-17 6 — — 24 24 operated by Shree Air
Four helicopters are currently positioned in Uganda after serving in a UN mission.[10]
Eurocopter AS350 B3e 2 — — 5 5 operated by Shree Air
Total 14 1

Accidents and incidents
  • On February 2, 2018, a Shree Airlines Bombardier CRJ200ER met a minor incident at Gautam Buddha Airport, Bhairahawa. The wing tip of the aircraft was damaged as the aircraft hit the wing of a Yeti Airlines Jetstream 41 at parking bay of the airport.[19]

Sponsorships

Shree Airlines is an active sports and events sponsor, co-sponsoring the 2018 Dhangadhi Premier League[20] and since 2019 sponsoring the Biratnagar Kings[21] in cricket and the 2019 SAFF Women's Championship[22] in football.

References
  1. "Airline and Airport Codes". IATA. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  2. "Shree Airlines gets 2nd Bombardier jet". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  3. "Personality MITTAL'S MANTRA". Nepalnews. July 2003. Archived from the original on 10 March 2004.
  4. "Shree Airlines Website". Shree Airlines. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  5. "Tribhuvan International Airport posts 12 percent passenger growth in 2018". The Kathmandu Post. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  6. "Shree Airlines to diversify into fixed-wing operations". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  7. "Shree Airlines". Airliner World (October 2017): 15.
  8. "Shree Airlines CRJ preparing for free charter flight to Singapore". Aviation Nepal. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  9. "Shree Airlines Joins Bombardier's Family of CRJ Series Aircraft Operators". Market Wired. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  10. "Shree seeks govt help revive charter deal". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  11. "Religious Tour". Shree Airlines. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  12. https://www.aviationnepal.com/shree-airlines-commencing-flight-to-janakpur-from-tomorrow/
  13. "Shree Airlines preparing Rajbiraj flights starting from June 24". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  14. "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 21.
  15. "Shree Airlines receives additional Bombardier CRJ700 "9N-AMO"". Aviation Nepal. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  16. "Shree Airlines Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 arriving soon". Aviation Nepal.
  17. "A conservation catastrophe for Nepal". BBC. 2006-09-25. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  18. "Teams recover Nepal crash bodies". BBC. 2006-09-27. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  19. "Shree Airlines' CRJ200 and Yeti Airlines' had a minor collision at Gautam Buddha Airport". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  20. "Shree Airlines join hands with DPL-2". The Kathmandu Post. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  21. "Biratnagar Kings ink title sponsorship deal". The Kathmandu Post. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  22. "ANFA Signs A Deal With Shree Airlines For SAFF Women's Championship 2019". Goal Nepal. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
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