Buddha Air’s ATR-42 aircraft with registration 9N-AIN will no longer grace the Nepali sky. 

The company has decided to bid the aircraft adieu with its flying cycle fixed by its manufacturer nearning an end, Buddha Air said in a press statement.

The aircraft was in operation in Nepal from September 7, 2008 until September 10, 2024, serving around 1.8 million passengers in the period. It completed 70,000 flying cycles.

Buddha Air, the biggest domestic carrier of the country, claimed Tuesday’s farewell was the first time in the history of ATR aircraft operation.

Bringing 19 ATR aircrafts in the past 16 years, Buddha Air is the seventh biggest ATR operator in the world.

Successfully completion of the flight cycle has proven that the technical and operation team of the Buddha Air are as efficient as, if not better, than that in the developed countries in terms of maintenance and flight operations, Birendra Bahadur Basnet, Executive Chairman of the Buddha Air, said.

Buddha Air serves around 10,000 passengers daily through more than 150 flights. It also flies to Varanasi, India for three days a week.