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 Air was a Nepalese airline based in Kathmandu. The airline was Nepal's first private airline company and was established on 14 September 1992 with one Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft. The airline indefinitely suspended flights in 2003 due to financial difficulties and was delisted from the Nepal Stock Exchange in 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 Air and Karnali Air. As a part of this, Necon Air took over Shangri-La Air's fleet of two Beechcraft 1900Ds.[4] Plans were announced to add two medium size Boeing or Airbus aircraft by September 2002 and extending the network to new regional destinations in South Asia and China.[4] The Executive Chairman of Karnali Air, Narayan Singh Pun took 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 owed NPRs 20 million to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal for landing and ground charges and NPRs. 20 million to the Nepal Oil Corporation for fuel.[6] The airline was also in dispute with Raytheon over leasing and financial arrangements for their Beechcraft 1900 aircraft 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 Air Avro 748-100 had a hydraulic failure after landing in Pokhara Airport on a flight from Kathmandu Airport. The pilot attempted to steer the plane, but it hit another stationary Hawker Siddeley HS 748. There were no fatalities among the four crew member and 44 passengers.[10]
- On 18 January 1999, a Necon Air Cessna 208 Caravan I crashed upon departure in Jumla Airport killing four out of the 12 passengers and crew.[11]
- 5 September 1999 - Necon Air Flight 128 from Pokhara Airport to Kathmandu Airport crashed when it hit a telecommunications tower.[12] All 10 passengers and 5 crew were killed.
References[edit]
- ^ "Necon Air Fleet Details and History". Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "The Airline Codes Website". Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
- ^ Gurung, Indra (23 October 2006). "13 companies to be de-listed". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ a b Uprety, Surendra (1 October 2001). "Operational Merge : Need of the Hour". nepalnews.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2004.
- ^ "Necon Begins Consolidation". nepalnews.com. 1 October 2001. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006.
- ^ a b "Broken Wings". Spotlight Nepal. 5 June 2003. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ a b c "Raytheon Aircraft Co may take back Necon's aeroplane". The Kathmandu Post. 22 April 2003. Archived from the original on 3 May 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ Nepal Hiking Archived 2006-11-10 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 18 November 2007
- ^ "Necon Air Fleet Details and History". Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Avro 748-106 Srs. 1A". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Necon Air Caravan crashes on take-off in Nepal". Flightglobal. 27 January 1999. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ "Nepal suffers second fatal crash". Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.