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. 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%.
History
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. 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 4000 kg of cargo or 26 people. Shree Airlines operates both cargo and passenger flights.
Nepal’s then largest helicopter operator Shree Air diversied 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. 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.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, Shree Airlines carried out charter flights to Singapore, marking the airlines' international flight debut.
Services
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.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 cancelled 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. As of September 2016, two Helicopters are still in Aftice, while two more helicopters are currently being overhauled.
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.Destinations
Shree Airlines operates scheduled domestic flights to the following destinations as of January, 2020.| Destination | Airport | Notes |
| Bhadrapur | Bhadrapur Airport | |
| Bhairahawa | Gautam Buddha Airport | |
| Biratnagar | Biratnagar Airport | |
| Dhangadhi | Dhangadhi Airport | |
| Janakpur | Janakpur Airport | |
| Kathmandu | Tribhuvan International Airport | |
| Nepalgunj | Nepalgunj Airport | |
| Rajbiraj | Rajbiraj Airport |
Fleet
The Shree Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft :Accidents and incidents
- On 23 September 2006, a Shree Air Mil Mi-8 helicopter that operated on a chartered mission en route to Kathmandu crashed shortly after it departed Ghunsa, Taplejung. All four crew members and 20 passengers died in the crash, among them several senior officials of the World Wide Fund for Nature and Nepalese Government officials Gopal Rai and Harka Gurung and conservationist Chandra Gurung.
- 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.
Sponsorships