Cosmic Air Pvt. Ltd. (Nepali: कस्मिक एयर) was a private airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal. It operated scheduled domestic and international passenger services out of Tribhuvan International Airport between 1998 and 2008.
History
Cosmic Air was established in 1997 as a company wholly owned by Captain RP Pradhan, operating under the parent company SOI Group. Flight operations began 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, with two further aircraft of this type leased in January and April 2005.
International services were launched in 2005. However, financial difficulties emerged in November of that year when the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation refused to sell fuel to the airline unless it cleared past debts of 125 million rupees. Operations were temporarily suspended. The airline incurred a loss of 620 million rupees for 2005.
Another temporary suspension occurred on 14 October 2006 due to technical problems with the airline's only operational Fokker 100 aircraft. After a year-long suspension, Cosmic Air restarted scheduled services in October 2007. In 2008, the airline permanently ceased operations. According to The Kathmandu Post, the closure was primarily caused by a price war among the three largest private airlines in Nepal at the time: Cosmic Air, Buddha Air, and Yeti Airlines. On 10 January 2010, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal officially revoked Cosmic Air's Air Operator's Certificate.
Destinations
Cosmic Air served the following destinations from its hub at Tribhuvan International Airport:
| Country | Cities |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | Dhaka |
| India | New Delhi, Varanasi, Kolkata |
| Nepal | Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Biratnagar, Jomsom, Kathmandu (hub), Nepalgunj, Pokhara |
The airline also operated scheduled mountain sightseeing flights from Kathmandu to the Mount Everest range.
Fleet
At its height during 2005–2006, Cosmic Air operated a fleet of nine aircraft:
| Aircraft | Number in Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fokker 100 | 4 | 105-seat; only one remained with the airline upon closure |
| Saab 340 | 1 | 33-seat |
| Dornier 228 | 4 | 18-seat |
| Mil Mi-17 | 2 (former) | Helicopters; introduced 1997, retired later |
IATA and ICAO Codes
- IATA: F5
- ICAO: COZ
- Call sign: COSMIC AIR
Trivia
After Cosmic Air's closure, one of its former Fokker 100 aircraft was placed on display at the Aircraft Museum Dhangadhi, Nepal's first aviation museum.
