Buddha Air has retired an ATR 72 aircraft, the first to be grounded in the world. Registered as “9N-AJO” it has been officially pulled from service by the private airline company.
On the occasion, the company wrote, “After 70,000 cycles of service, our ATR 72-500 (9N-AJO) becomes one of the first ATR 72-500 aircraft in the world to retire, bidding farewell to the skies, leaving behind countless memories and unforgettable journeys across Nepal and beyond.”
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Buddha Air retires ATR 72-500
According to Buddha Air, the ATR 72-500 aircraft completed 38,424 flights in total, serving 24,82,772 passengers in its 16 years of flight operations. It made its first boarding on July 02, 2010, and its last was on March 09, 2026.
On its farewell ceremony, Birendra Bahadur Basnet, Executive Chairman of Buddha Air, said, “This aircraft has made a great contribution to making air travel in Nepal easier, less expensive, and environmentally friendly. It has played an important role in both expanding Buddha Air’s market and expanding its network. We have also set a historical record of operating an ATR aircraft for the full life of the aircraft.”
Stefano Marazzani, Senior Vice President of ATR, expressed his deep satisfaction over the partnership with Buddha Air and said, “This aircraft, designed and built by ATR, was able to be safely serviced until its last flight, in qualified hands, with the right environment and excellent technical systems, which has reaffirmed Buddha Air’s high safety commitment.”
Prior to this, the airline also retired an ATR-42 plane back in 2024.
About the company’s flight operations
The company boards flights across the country, and from Pokhara to Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, and Bharatpur. Internationally, it operates flights to Varanasi and Kolkata in India.
Buddha Air started commercial operation on October 11, 1997, and currently operates 160 flights per day. The company has so far served over 27 million passengers. The company holds a market share of 65%, being the most popular airline company for air travel in Nepal.
27 million passengers. Our market share is currently around 65 percent as we continue to make a profit for the past two decades.