Guna Airlines
{{Short description|Airline based in Nepal}}{{Infobox Airline
| airline = Guna Airlines
| logo = Guna_Airlines_logo.png
| logo_size = 150
| fleet_size = 7
| destinations = 10
| IATA = {{mdash}}
| ICAO = GUA
| callsign = {{mdash}}
| company_slogan =
| founded = {{Unbulleted list
|{{start date and years ago|2009}} (first iteration)
|{{start date and years ago|2021}} (second iteration)}}
| ceased =
| headquarters = Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal{{cite web |title=Contact |url=http://www.gunaairlines.com/contact.html |publisher=Guna Airlines |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715223121/http://www.gunaairlines.com/contact.html |archivedate=15 July 2009}}
| key_people = Rajendra Shakya (Chairman)
Diprash Shakya (Managing Director){{cite web |title=flyguna.com |url=https://www.flyguna.com/types/management}}
| hubs = Tribhuvan International Airport
| secondary_hubs =
| focus_cities =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| website = [https://www.flyguna.com/ www.flyguna.com]
}}
File:Beech 1900D, Guna Airlines JP6992684.jpg, Kathmandu]]
Guna Airlines Pvt. Ltd. ({{langx|ne|गुण एयरलाइन्स}}) is an airline based in Nepal operating domestic scheduled flights from its base at Tribhuvan International Airport. Guna Airlines was initially formed in 2009, when it was part of the Guna Group a Nepalese conglomerate of companies.{{cite web |title=Guna Air hits start button |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/guna-air-hits-start-button/ |publisher=The Himalayan Times |accessdate=1 June 2020 |date=6 May 2009}} After ceasing operations in 2013 and transferring its operations to Simrik Airlines, the airline restarted operations in 2021 while retransferring operations back into the initial airline company.
History
The Guna Group began as a small gold shop known as Guna Jewellers in Patan in 1984 and has since grown to a multi-industry company. In 2009, the group launched Guna Airlines.{{cite web|url=http://www.gunaairlines.com/about-us/index.php |title=gunaairlines.com |publisher=gunaairlines.com |date= |accessdate=2013-06-08}}
In 2013, Guna Airlines ceased trading due to financial difficulties and was acquired by Simrik Airlines for NRs 350 million.{{cite web|url=http://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/High-costs,-low-fares,170|title=High costs, low fares - Nation - Nepali Times|author=Sunir Pandey|publisher=|accessdate=3 January 2015}} Simrik Airlines used the Brand of Guna for some more time before renaming and repainting the two Beechcraft 1900 aircraft, that were previously operated by Guna Airlines.{{cite web |title=Simrik Air takes over Guna Airlines |url=https://www.tourismkathmandu.com/news/display/289 |publisher=República |accessdate=1 June 2020 |date=2 December 2013}}
In 2020, first reports appeared stating that Guna Airlines would be reestablished.{{cite web |title=Guna Airlines to operate its service again on Nepal Sky |url=https://www.aviationnepal.com/guna-airlines-to-reoperate-its-service-again-on-nepal-sky/ |publisher=Aviation Nepal |access-date=23 May 2021 |date=20 December 2020}} In early 2021, the airline announced that it would buy five BAe Jetstream 41 from Yeti Airlines to restart operation under the brand name Guna Airlines.{{cite web |title=यतिसँग खरिद गरेका जे ४१ जेटस्ट्रिम जहाजलाई उडान भर्न गुण एयरलाइन्सलाई अनुमति |url=https://www.news24nepal.tv/2021/04/30/773157 |publisher=News 24 Nepal |access-date=23 May 2021 |language=Nepali}} For this, chairman Rajendra Shakya invested 1 billion Nepali Rupees into the company.
On 16 September 2021, operations began again with regular flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara and Bharatpur,{{cite web |title=Guna Airlines to start flights from Thursday |url=https://english.onlinekhabar.com/guna-airlines-start-flights.html |publisher=Online Khabar |access-date=31 October 2021 |date=13 September 2021}} after which it gradually increased its network.
In early 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal suspended all operations of the airline as it was unable to pay salaries of its staff.{{cite web |title=CAAN stops all Guna Airlines flights until further notice |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/caan-stops-all-guna-airlines-flights-until-further-notice/ |publisher=República |access-date=17 March 2023 |date=20 February 2023}} Later, the authority also stopped any aircraft sale of the company.{{cite web |title=Guna Airlines fails financial audit, cannot sell or fly jet stream aircraft |url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/caan-stops-all-guna-airlines-flights-until-further-notice/ |publisher=República |access-date=17 March 2023 |date=16 March 2023}} This grounding continued to March 2024, when the airline prepared to resume flights.{{cite web |last1=Gems |first1=Sierra |title=Guna Airlines preparing to Resume flights after Warning of Auction |url=https://aviationinnepal.com/guna-airlines-preparing-to-resume-flights-after-warning-of-auction/ |publisher=Aviation News Nepal |access-date=2 April 2024 |date=25 March 2024}}
Destinations
Guna Airlines offers scheduled flights to the following destinations, all of which are suspended as of March 2023:
In its previous iteration, Guna Airlines also operated scheduled mountain sightseeing flights from Kathmandu to Mount Everest.{{cite web |title=Flight Schedule |url=http://www.gunaairlines.com/flight_schedule.html |publisher=Guna Airlines |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714201827/http://www.gunaairlines.com/flight_schedule.html |archivedate=14 July 2009}}
Fleet
=Current Fleet=
Guna Airlines' fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of October 2021):
| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="margin:1em auto; border-collapse:collapse; text-align: center"
|+ Guna Airlines fleet |
| rowspan=2|Aircraft
!rowspan=2|In Fleet !rowspan=2|Orders !colspan=3|Passengers !rowspan=2|Notes |
|---|
| C
!Y !Total |
| align=left|BAe Jetstream 41{{cite web |title=पाँच जेटस्ट्रिमबाट फेरिँदैछन् यतीको लोगो, यही साता गुण एयरलाइन्सलाई हस्तान्तरण गरिँदै |url=https://bizmandu.com/content/20210629120652.html |publisher=Bizmandu |access-date=3 July 2021 |language=Nepali}}
|5 |— |— |29 |29 | |
| align=left|Beechcraft 1900C{{cite web |title=Guna Airline Fleets |url=https://gunagroups.com/companies/guna-airlines/|publisher=Guna Group}}
|2 |— |— |18 |18 | |
| Total
!7 ! | colspan="4" | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official|https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.gunaairlines.com/}} via Wayback Machine
{{Portalbar|Nepal|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of Nepal}}
Category:Defunct airlines of Nepal
Category:Airlines established in 2009