After 25 years of flying in the skies of Nepal, Buddha Air has earned a name as one of the most popular and sought-after airlines in Nepal. Buddha Air was established in October of 1997 with a mountain flight that was carried out on a Beechcraft 1990D. Since then, Buddha Air has set a standard in flying, safety, staff training and aircraft maintenance. 
With a team of over 1,500 employees in departments ranging from flights, ground handling and operational safety, to administration and communication, Buddha Air has succeeded in creating a smooth ecosystem where each department has contributed to the long-standing operations of the airline. 
According to the latest data provided by the company, Buddha Air has carried over 264,918 flights from 1 October 1997 to 1st October, 2022. There have been 18,032,458 passengers who have flown with Buddha Air, among them 15,147,896 were Nepalis, 1,739,831 were Indians and 1,144,731 were foreign nationals. 
Buddha Air was established by the late Surendra Bahadur Basnet and his son Birendra Bahadur Basnet. Surendra Bahadur Basnet, who was the Executive Chairman of the company, passed away in November of 2022 at the age of 84. The company is now headed by Birendra Bahadur Basnet as the Executive Chairperson. Buddha Air has 43 air routes, which includes Everest 

Experience and Annapurna Experience mountain flights, connecting 13 cities in Nepal as well as one in India i.e Varanasi. 
Buddha Air has a history of being the market leader in the domestic pressurised aircraft sector. It has secured up to 61% of the market share in the aviation sector of Nepal. This has been possible thanks to its reputation as a credible airline that provides high-quality flight services and has helped the company to get immense success in revenue and market share value. 
Fuel-efficient and environmentally sustainable aircraft 
The company currently owns 15 aircrafts - 11 ATR 72-500s and 4 ATR 42-320s. The two Beechcraft 1900D, which were the first aircrafts that Buddha Air initiated with, were discontinued in February 2023. 
ATR is the most fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly aircraft to fly regionally as it emits 40% less carbon dioxide when flying at 500 km per hour compared to other aircraft of the same range.
- ATR 72-500 
The ATR 72-500 is a 72-seater aircraft which consumes less fuel compared to other aircraft of the same sizes which comes to about 14 litres per passenger per hour. According to the reports of the fiscal year 2020/21, it consumed up to 8,861,086 litres of fuel in 8,809 hours of air time. This aircraft is a 6-bladed version which can perform much better in terms of performance and comfort compared to other ATR versions and is extremely fuel-efficient, making it the perfect aircraft for domestic and short distance flights. 
- ATR 42-320 
ATR 42-320 is the older version of ATR with a seat capacity of 47. According to the reports of the fiscal year 2020-21, it consumed up to 1,740,185 litres of fuel in 2,152 hours of air time which translates into 17 litres of fuel per passenger per hour. This aircraft is a 4-bladed version of ATR with PW121 power engine. It is preferred in hot climates as it can perform better in hot and high conditions while also being extremely fuel efficient. 
- Beechcraft 1900D
The two Beechcraft 1900D were the oldest aircraft owned by Buddha Air. The aircraft has now been discontinued for flight. The Beechcraft 1900D began its operations from 1997, and served the airline until 2023 when it was sold to a Canadian company. The Beechcraft was maintained in such great condition by Buddha Air that the Canadian buyer was impressed with the level of maintenance, which they had not expected from a Nepali airline company. 
Hangar Facility 
Buddha Air has the only international standard, closed-door hangar facility in Nepal. The hangar is situated in Tribhuvan International Airport and was built in 2012 with a budget of $2.5 million. It occupies an area of 37,000 square feet. This is the only international standard closed-door hangar facility which has been certified as Part 145 AMO (Approved Maintenance Organization) by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). This hangar has also been used to facilitate the repair and maintenance of foreign aircraft as well, such as NOVO air of Bangladesh and Druk Air of Bhutan for the maintenance of their ATR aircrafts. Buddha Air’s hangar is well facilitated with a large inventory of spares and special tools among all the private airlines in Nepal. This hangar also consists of a team of specialists including operation handlers, engineers and flight recorders. 
Hangar and its Features 
-    This hangar can accommodate an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft 
-     It has been accredited for the maintenance of ATR, Beechcraft, including all Base Maintenance activities, 12 yearly inspections, 36,000 cycles threshold inspections as well as modifications. 
-    It holds a global storage facility for aircraft spare parts and materials worth approximately $9.3 million 
-    Buddha Air is the only domestic operator in Nepal to voluntarily incorporate a Flight Data Monitoring System which analyses and monitors flights in live time to enhance the flight safety. 
-    It owns the only ATR aircraft Flight Panel Trainer (FTP) in Nepal which is used to train pilots and engineers to be better prepared for flights. 

Safety as the Top Priority 
It goes without saying that all the investments made by Buddha Air goes into ensuring the safety and comfort of its passengers during flights. The main aspect of ensuring safety comes before, during and after a flight. 
Before a flight takes place, Buddha Air makes sure that all the staff are equipped to handle any situation for flight safety and accident prevention. For this, it provides relevant training to the crew members as per the requirements of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). Buddha Air is spending around $600,000 annually on the training and skill-enhancement of its staff. 
During a flight, the overall data of the flight is monitored by the FDM, a flight data monitoring method of recording and analysing data. The FDM begins when the engine is turned ‘on’ and does not stop monitoring until the plane has landed and its engine is turned ‘off’. This FDM system helps to study the data report of a flight in case of an unusual event or accidents. 
After the flight has taken place, regular safety audits are carried out by the Compliance Monitoring and Quality Assurance Department. This department conducts regular audits of each section of the aircraft to ensure that the aircraft is well maintained, has its parts replaced in case of damages, and to make sure that it complies to all applicable regulations and standards. These audits contribute to maintaining a standard for an external Operational Safety Audit by an outside committee. This OSA comprises 958 standards to qualify before flying an aircraft. 
Development of Staff 
Buddha Air has 1,454 employees working in 14 different departments. To enhance their skills and to support their learning and growth, Buddha air invested a total of around $5,88,384.27 for technical training and $248,263 for non-technical training in fiscal year 2021/22. Each person plays a crucial role in bringing together a system which primarily focuses on safety as the utmost priority. This has been done to ensure that from the moment a passenger books a ticket to reaching their destination, the employees move along with their journey, to ensure that there will be a convenient and comfortable flight. 
Corporate and Social Responsibility 
Besides its contribution in the aviation sector of Nepal, Buddha Air has also been making an impact in the agricultural sector of Nepal through its corporate and social services. As a corporate entity committed to serving the needs of society, it has been supporting hundreds of farmers in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari and Saptari districts by providing high-quality seeds for plantation, developing irrigation systems, providing fertilisers and pesticides for better yields.
As the farmers are a crucial part of a nation’s development, since they feed the nation, Buddha Air believes that they should be provided with the facilities to ensure a great yield on a year-to-year basis. 
As a “people first” company, Buddha Air has come a long way since its beginning as a mountain flight operator in 1997. Today, it has become a household name and a favoured domestic flight service provider for many Nepalis. By working for the nation and its people, there have been no compromises when it comes to safety. Over the 25 years of its operations, it has been continuously changing and growing, learning from the past and looking towards the future. Buddha Air has created a legacy of ‘firsts’ and ‘bests’ in Nepal. But the journey is still ongoing. As Nepal’s leading domestic airlines, it has definitely set a benchmark for exemplary management, operational safety and customer satisfaction. 
Buddha Air - Nepal’s No. 1 Safest Domestic Airlines