Cosmic Air
{{Short description|Nepalese airline}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Cosmic Air
| logo = Cosmic air.png
| logo_size = 150px
| fleet_size = 9 (at closure)
| destinations =
| IATA = F5
| ICAO = COZ
| callsign = COSMIC AIR
| founded = 1997
| ceased = 2008
| headquarters = Kathmandu, Nepal
| key_people = Sushil Shrestha (president)
| hubs = Tribhuvan International Airport
| focus_cities = Indira Gandhi International Airport{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
}}
Cosmic Air Pvt. Ltd. (Nepali: कस्मिक एयर) was an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It operated scheduled domestic and international services out of Tribhuvan International Airport. After already having been forced to temporarily suspended flights in 2005 and 2006 due to budgetary constraints, Cosmic Air ceased its operations in 2008.{{Cite web |url=http://www.airlineupdate.com/content_public/airlines/indian_subcontinent/nepal.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717035800/http://www.airlineupdate.com/content_public/airlines/indian_subcontinent/nepal.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2012 |title=Cosmic Air at airlineupdate.com |access-date=20 August 2010 }}
History
File:Cosmic Air Saab 340 Hanuise-2.jpg at Pokhara Airport (April 2001)]]
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-17 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. In January and April 2005 two further airplanes of this type were leased to Cosmic Air.{{cite web |title=Introduction |url=http://www.cosmicair.com:80/aboutus.php |publisher=Cosmic Air |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523171833/http://www.cosmicair.com/aboutus.php |archivedate=23 May 2006 |access-date=10 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}
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 rupees. 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.{{cite web |last1=Baidya |first1=Pratibedan |title=Flight to uncertainty: Cosmic Air lands into trouble once again |url=http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/others/feature/apr/news_feature01.php |publisher=NepalNews.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114234648/http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/others/feature/apr/news_feature01.php |archivedate=14 November 2006 |date=2 April 2006}}
File:Cosmic Air Fokker 100 UA-320-1.jpg at Tribhuvan International Airport (April 2008).]]
Another temporary suspension of operations occurred on 14 October 2006 due technical problems with the airline's only operational Fokker 100 aircraft forcing it to be grounded at Tribhuvan International Airport.{{cite web |title=Cosmic Air flights stalled for now |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/cosmic-air-flights-stalled-for-now/ |work=The Himalayan Times|accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=15 October 2006}}
On 1 January 2007, India provided a temporary maintenance and operational base at New Delhi. By, then Cosmic air flew only to Kolkata, Mumbai and Varanasi also, limited cargo flights continued into India western provinces Gujarat Ahmedabad.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
After one year of suspension of its operations, Cosmic Air restarted scheduled services in October 2007.{{cite web |title=Cosmic Air resumes flight |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/cosmic-air-resumes-flight/ |work=The Himalayan Times|accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=16 October 2007}}
In 2008, Cosmic Air ceased its operations. According to The Kathmandu Post, this was caused mostly by the price war between the three biggest private airlines of Nepal at that time, Cosmic Air, Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines.{{cite web |title=Thai police hands over Cosmic Air director to Nepali cops |url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2012-01-25/thai-police-hands-over-cosmic-air-director-to-nepali-cops.html |publisher=Thai police hands over Cosmic Air director to Nepali cops |accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=25 January 2012}}
On 10 January 2010, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal officially retracted Cosmic Air's Air operator's certificate.{{cite web |last1=Karki |first1=Dinesh|title=Three airline companies lose AOC |url=http://archives.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=14208 |publisher=República |accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=18 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316163801/http://archives.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=14208 |archive-date=16 March 2012}}
Destinations
Cosmic Air regularly served the following destinations from its hub at Tribhuvan International Airport, which were cancelled either at the closure of operations or before:{{cite web |title=International Flight Schedule |url=http://www.cosmicair.com:80/schedule.php |publisher=Cosmic Air |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002143715/http://www.cosmicair.com/schedule.php |archivedate=2 October 2007 |access-date=10 July 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Destinations |url=http://www.cosmicair.com:80/destinations.php |publisher=Cosmic Air |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523172054/http://www.cosmicair.com/destinations.php |archivedate=23 May 2006 |access-date=10 July 2019 |url-status=live }}
Cosmic Air also operated scheduled mountain sightseeing flights from Kathmandu to Mount Everest range. The flights usually departed in the early morning hours and returned to the airport one hour later.{{cite web |title=Cosmic Air begins mountain flight |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/cosmic-air-begins-mountain-flight/ |work=The Himalayan Times|accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=17 November 2005}}
Fleet
At its height during 2005/2006, Cosmic Air operated a fleet the following types of aircraft:[http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Cosmic%20Air.htm Cosmic Air historic fleet at airfleets.net]{{cite web |title=Our Planes |url=http://www.cosmicair.com:80/ourplanes.php |publisher=Cosmic Air |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714181624/http://www.cosmicair.com/ourplanes.php |archivedate=14 July 2007 |access-date=10 July 2019 |url-status=live }}
| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center; margin:1em auto;"
|+ Cosmic Air fleet |
| rowspan="2"|Aircraft
!rowspan="2"|In Service !colspan="3"|Passengers !rowspan="2"|Notes !rowspan="2"|Refs |
|---|
| C
!Y !Total |
| Fokker 100
|4 |— |105 |105 |only one of which remained with the airline upon closure{{cite web |title=Cosmic Air returns Fokker |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/cosmic-air-returns-fokker/https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/cosmic-air-returns-fokker/ |work=The Himalayan Times|accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=9 September 2006}} |
| Saab 340
|1 |— |33 |33 | | |
| Dornier 228
|4 |— |18 |18 | | |
| Total
!9 !colspan="5"| |
=Former fleet=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:1em auto;"
|+ Cosmic Air historical fleet |
| Aircraft
!Introduced !Retired !Notes |
|---|
| Mil Mi-17
|1997 |? | |
Trivia
After Cosmic Air's closure, one former Fokker 100 aircraft of the airline is at display at Aircraft Museum Dhangadhi, Nepal's first aviation museum.{{cite web |title=Nepal’s first aircraft museum to open Sept 17 |url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2014-09-07/nepals-first-aircraft-museum-to-open-sept-17.html |work=The Kathmandu Post|accessdate=1 October 2018 |date=7 September 2014}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Cosmic Air}}
- {{official website|https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.cosmicair.com/}} via Wayback Machine
{{Navbox Airlines of Nepal}}
Category:Defunct airlines of Nepal
Category:Airlines established in 1997
Category:Airlines disestablished in 2008