Cosmic Air
Encyclopedia
Cosmic Air was an airline
based in Kathmandu, Nepal
. It operated scheduled domestic and international services out of Kathmandu Airport, aiming at foreign tourists. After already having been forced to temporarily suspended flights in 2005 and 2006 due to budgetary constraints, Cosmic Air was finally shut down in 2008.
helicopters. In August 1998 Dornier 228
aircraft were added to the fleet. In October 2004 Cosmic Air acquired its first 105-seat Fokker 100 aircraft on lease from AerCap Ireland. In January and April 2005 two further airplanes of this type were leased to Cosmic Air.
At its height in 2005 international services were launched. Financial problems became public in November of the same year, when the airline had to halt its domestic operations after the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation refused to sell it fuel unless it cleared past debts of 125 million rupee
s. Operations were restarted after Cosmic Air managed to pay its first instalment of 5 million rupees. Still, Cosmic Air incurred a loss of 620 million rupees for 2005.
Another temporary suspension of operations occurred on 14 October 2006 because of technical problems with the airline's only operational Fokker 100 aircraft aircraft was grounded for technical reasons.
In 2008, Cosmic Air ceased all operations and was subsequently dismantled.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Kathmandu, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. It operated scheduled domestic and international services out of Kathmandu Airport, aiming at foreign tourists. After already having been forced to temporarily suspended flights in 2005 and 2006 due to budgetary constraints, Cosmic Air was finally shut down in 2008.
History
Cosmic Air was established in 1997 as a company wholly owned by Captain RP Pradhan. Flight operations started on 1 January 1998 with two Mil Mi-17Mil Mi-17
The Mil Mi-17 is a Russian helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude...
helicopters. In August 1998 Dornier 228
Dornier Do 228
The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
aircraft were added to the fleet. In October 2004 Cosmic Air acquired its first 105-seat Fokker 100 aircraft on lease from AerCap Ireland. In January and April 2005 two further airplanes of this type were leased to Cosmic Air.
At its height in 2005 international services were launched. Financial problems became public in November of the same year, when the airline had to halt its domestic operations after the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation refused to sell it fuel unless it cleared past debts of 125 million rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
s. Operations were restarted after Cosmic Air managed to pay its first instalment of 5 million rupees. Still, Cosmic Air incurred a loss of 620 million rupees for 2005.
Another temporary suspension of operations occurred on 14 October 2006 because of technical problems with the airline's only operational Fokker 100 aircraft aircraft was grounded for technical reasons.
In 2008, Cosmic Air ceased all operations and was subsequently dismantled.
Services
At March 2008, Cosmic Air operated scheduled flights to the following destinations:- Domestic scheduled destinations: Biratnagar, Kathmandu, NepalgunjNepalgunjNepalgunj , also spelled Nepalganj, is a municipality in Banke District, Nepal on the Terai plains near the southern border with Bahraich district, Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is 16 km south of Kohalpur and the east-west Mahendra Highway....
.
- International scheduled destinations: DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, VaranasiVaranasi-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
and KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
Fleet
At its height during 2005, Cosmic Air operated a fleet the following types of aircraft:- 1 Dornier 228
- 4 Fokker 100 (only one of which remained with the airline upon closure)
- 1 Saab 340A