Saurya Airlines

Saurya Airlines
CRJ-200 9N-ALE at Tribhuvan Int'l Airport
IATA ICAO Call sign
S1 SAU SAURYA AIRLINES
Founded2014 (2014)
Commenced operations17 November 2014 (2014-11-17)
AOC #083/2014[1]
HubsTribhuvan Airport, Kathmandu
Focus citiesBiratnagar, Bhadrapur
Frequent-flyer programSaurya Saarathi[2]
Fleet size2 (after 24 July 2024 plane crash)
Destinations2
HeadquartersKathmandu, Nepal
Key people
  • Dipak Pokharel (Chairman)[3]
Websitesauryaairlines.com

Saurya Airlines Pvt. Ltd (Nepali: सौर्य एयरलाईन्स) is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal. As of August 2017, the airline served five destinations across three provinces of Nepal from its hub at Tribhuvan International Airport, operating a small fleet of Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft. Saurya Airlines was the first airline to operate the Canadair Regional Jet in Nepal, also becoming the second airline in Nepal after Cosmic Air to operate a jet engine aircraft on the domestic routes.

History

Saurya Airlines bought its first aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-200, on 18 August 2014 and commenced its first operation on 17 November 2014 by conducting a mountain flight and a round trip to Biratnagar Airport from Kathmandu Airport after it was forced to keep its new plane grounded for nearly three months due to lengthy paperwork.[4] The company later added a daily service to Bhadrapur making it its second southeastern destination. On 22 June 2015, Saurya Airlines launched flights to Nepalgunj which is now discontinued.

At the beginning of 2016, Saurya Airlines was constrained to operate charter flights as per the regulations of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal after the company failed to meet the minimum required number of aircraft needed to operate as a scheduled passenger carrier.[5] However, the company managed to provide the service to the passengers by operating scheduled charter flights. In 2016, Saurya Airlines served 90,205 passengers with the growth rate of 3.76 percent from the previous year.[6]

In March 2017, Saurya Airlines added a second CRJ-200 to its fleet, and regained the certificate to operate scheduled flights again. This aircraft (registered 9N-AME) was painted with a "Tata Tiago livery" as per the agreement with Sipradi Trading, making the airline the first Nepalese fixed-wing aircraft company to wear the international trademark on aircraft livery.[7]

In 2018, the airline was grounded by Tribhuvan International Airport, as it owed 30 million Nepali rupees in service charges to the airport.[8] In March 2019, the airline cleared its dues and restarted its flight operations.[9]

Also in 2018, the airline was sold to a group of Non Resident Nepalis for 320 million Nepali rupees.[10] However, in 2019, the ownership changed again, when the Indian Kuber Group acquired the airline for 630 million Nepali rupees.[11] In July 2021, some reports indicated that the airline would rebrand itself as Kuber Airlines.[12]

On 24 July 2024, 18 of the company's employees – including much of its senior management – were killed in a crash at Kathmandu. The following day, the airline suspended all flights due to the lack of aircraft and skilled personnel,[13] and its certification to operate was subsequently suspended.[14]

On 12 February 2026, it was reported that the airline had been approved to restart flight operations.[15]

Destinations

Saurya Airlines served these destinations as of January 2023:

City Airport Notes
Bhadrapur Chandragadhi Airport —
Biratnagar Biratnagar Airport —
Dhangadhi Dhangadhi Airport Terminated
Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport Hub
Nepalgunj Nepalgunj Airport Terminated
Pokhara Pokhara Airport Terminated
Pokhara International Airport Terminated
Siddharthanagar Gautam Buddha Airport Terminated

Fleet

Saurya Airlines CRJ-200 (9N-AME) in the Tata Tiago livery at Siddharthanagar Airport in 2017. This plane crashed on 24 July 2024.

As of August 2025, Saurya Airlines operates the following aircraft:[16]

Saurya Airlines fleet
Aircraft In fleet Orders Passengers Notes
Y
Bombardier CRJ200LR/ER 2[17] 0 50
ATR 72-600 0 3 [18][19]
Total 2

Accidents and incidents

  • 24 July 2024 – a Saurya Airlines CRJ200 (9N-AME) aircraft carrying 19 people on a special flight to a maintenance facility, crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu, killing all of those aboard except the captain.[20][19]

References

  1. ^ "Civil Aviation Report 2017" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  2. ^ "SAURYA SAARATHI". Saurya Airlines. Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Chairman's Message". Saurya Airlines. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Saurya adds another CRJ-200 to its fleet". The Kathmandu Post. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Nepal's Saurya Airlines downgraded to charter operator". ch aviation. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  6. ^ "2016; Prosperous year for Domestic airlines in Nepal". Aviation Nepal. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Saurya Airlines becomes the first Fixed wing Company to nab the international trademark on its livery". Aviation Nepal. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Saurya Airlines all Flights cancelled". Aviation Nepal. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Nepal's Saurya Airlines back in the air". HMG Aerospace. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Saurya airlines transfers ownership in 320 million". Tourismmail. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Kuber Group acquires 100% stake in Saurya Airlines". Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  12. ^ Sharma, Pankaj (15 July 2021). "Saurya Airlines will rebrand as Kuber Airlines". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  13. ^ Curran, Andrew (28 July 2024). "Nepal's Saurya Airlines suspends flights after fatal crash". ch-aviation.
  14. ^ Curran, Andrew (9 January 2025). "Nepal's Saurya Airlines hopeful about AOC reissue". ch-aviation.
  15. ^ Ash, Paul (12 February 2026). "Nepal's Saurya Airlines approved to restart ops". ch-aviation. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Saurya Airlines". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 69.
  17. ^ "Bombardier CRJ 200". Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Saurya Airlines". www.sauryaairlines.com. 20/08/2020: Saurya Airlines added third aircraft (9N-ANM) to its fleet
  19. ^ a b "ASN". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Saurya Plane Crash". Hindusthan Times. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
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