Necon Air
| |||||||
| Founded | 14 September 1992 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1992 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 2003 | ||||||
| Hubs | Tribhuvan International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 (at the time of closure) | ||||||
| Destinations | 10 (at the time of closure) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Nepal | ||||||
Necon Airwas aNepaleseairlinebased inKathmandu.The airline was Nepal's first private airline company and was established on 14 September 1992 with oneHawker Siddeley HS 748aircraft. The airline indefinitely suspended flights in 2003 due to financial difficulties and was delisted from theNepal Stock Exchangein 2006.[3]
History[edit]
Necon Air was established as Nepal's first private airline company in 1992.
In 2001, the airline partly merged with two other local airlines,Shangri-La AirandKarnali Air.As a part of this, Necon Air took over Shangri-La Air's fleet of twoBeechcraft 1900Ds.[4]Plans were announced to add two medium sizeBoeingorAirbusaircraft by September 2002 and extending the network to new regional destinations in South Asia andChina.[4]The Executive Chairman of Karnali Air,Narayan Singh Puntook on the position of Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Necon Air.[5]
Necon Air indefinitely suspended flights in 2003 due to financial difficulties. Along with debt to private commercial banks, the airline also owedNPRs20 million to theCivil Aviation Authority of Nepalfor landing and ground charges and NPRs. 20 million to theNepal Oil Corporationfor fuel.[6]The airline was also in dispute withRaytheonover leasing and financial arrangements for theirBeechcraft 1900aircraft and Raytheon were seeking the grounding of the aircraft.[7]
Destinations[edit]
Necon Air regularly served the following destinations, which were cancelled either at the closure of operations or before:[8]
| Country | City | IATA | ICAO | Airport | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Patna | PAT | VEPT | Jay Prakash Narayan Airport | ||
| Varanasi | VNS | VEBN | Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport | |||
| Nepal | Bhairahawa | BWA | VNBW | Bhairahawa Airport | ||
| Bhadrapur | BDP | VNCG | Bhadrapur Airport | |||
| Biratnagar | BIR | VNVT | Biratnagar Airport | |||
| Janakpur | JKR | VNJP | Janakpur Airport | |||
| Kathmandu | KTM | VNKT | Tribhuvan International Airport | Hub | ||
| Nepalgunj | KEP | VNNG | Nepalgunj Airport | |||
| Pokhara | PKR | VNPK | Pokhara Airport | |||
| Simara | SIF | VNSI | Simara Airport |
Fleet[edit]
Necon Air operated the following aircraft throughout its history:
| Aircraft | In fleet | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ATR 42 | 2 | Registered 9N-AFU and 9N-AGP.[9] |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748[7] | 6 | Registered 9N-ACH, 9N-ACM, 9N-ACP, 9N-ADE, 9N-AEG, 9N-AEH |
| Beechcraft 1900[7] | 2 | Registered 9N-AGI, 9N-AGL |
| Cessna 208[6] | 2 | Registered 9N-ADA, 9N-AEF |
Accidents and incidents[edit]
- On 6 November 1997, a Necon AirAvro 748-100had a hydraulic failure after landing inPokhara Airporton a flight fromKathmandu Airport.The pilot attempted to steer the plane, but it hit another stationaryHawker Siddeley HS 748.There were no fatalities among the four crew member and 44 passengers.[10]
- On 18 January 1999, a Necon AirCessna 208 Caravan Icrashed upon departure inJumla Airportkilling four out of the 12 passengers and crew.[11]
- 5 September 1999 -Necon Air Flight 128fromPokhara AirporttoKathmandu Airportcrashed when it hit a telecommunications tower.[12]All 10 passengers and 5 crew were killed.
References[edit]
- ^"Necon Air Fleet Details and History".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-06-18.Retrieved2021-05-12.
- ^"The Airline Codes Website".Archivedfrom the original on 2008-08-28.Retrieved2006-11-18.
- ^Gurung, Indra (23 October 2006)."13 companies to be de-listed".The Himalayan Times.Archivedfrom the original on 6 June 2020.Retrieved6 June2020.
- ^abUprety, Surendra (1 October 2001)."Operational Merge: Need of the Hour".nepalnews.com. Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2004.
- ^"Necon Begins Consolidation".nepalnews.com. 1 October 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 14 November 2006.
- ^ab"Broken Wings".Spotlight Nepal. 5 June 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 27 April 2006.Retrieved1 May2019.
- ^abc"Raytheon Aircraft Co may take back Necon's aeroplane".The Kathmandu Post. 22 April 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2006.Retrieved1 May2019.
- ^Nepal HikingArchived2006-11-10 at theWayback Machineretrieved 18 November 2007
- ^"Necon Air Fleet Details and History".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-06-18.Retrieved2021-05-12.
- ^"ASN Aircraft accident Avro 748-106 Srs. 1A".Aviation Safety Network.Retrieved23 May2021.
- ^"Necon Air Caravan crashes on take-off in Nepal".Flightglobal. 27 January 1999.Retrieved1 May2021.
- ^"Nepal suffers second fatal crash".Flightglobal.Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2017.Retrieved10 October2017.