D
BUD
HA
No. 18 January 2010
w w w . b u d d h a a i r . c o m
B
uddha Air came into service in 1997 with just two Beech aircrafts, and evolved into a leading airline of the country in just a decade. It is a remarkable feat achieved in the Nepalese private sector. With its committed management and skilled manpower, the airline has made a giant leap. It is one of the few success stories in the country’s private sector. Now the airline has added three 48seater France-built ATRs to its fleet. With the addition of these ATRs, the airline now has seven airplanes including four Beechcrafts. On Oct. 11, Buddha Air celebrated its 12th anniversary at Hotel Raddision. All the Buddha Air employees enthusiastically participated in the function. On the occasion, Buddha Air chairman Surendra Bahadur Basnet handed over letters of appreciation and plaques to 25 employees, who had completed 10 years of service at the airline, while other participants cheered and clapped. He also handed over prizes to the winners of games organized just ahead of the anniversary celebration. The operation department had won the gold medal in basketball and football, and the Airport marketing had won the gold medal in volleyball. Likewise Captain AG Sherpa bagged
Celebrating 12th Anniversary the gold medal in bowling and Khagendra Bahadur Basnet of the Human Resources Department was the highest scorer. Speaking at the function, chairman Basnet appreciated the roles played by the employees in taking the airline to a new high. He especially lauded
the roles of the operation department, which is successfully operating new airplanes – ATRs. He also took pride in the fact that Buddha Air is the only airline in Nepal to receive contd on page 3
1
Citizen Bank
a n n i v e r s a r y
List of Employees completing 10 years of service till December 2009
S. N.
BUDDHA
Name
Work Place
1
Mr. Anil Shrestha
Flight Operations
2
Mr. Ashok Kumar Majhi
Janakpur Station
3
Mr. Bhakta Bahadur Basnet
Biratnagar Station
4
Mr. Chappan Lal Rajbanshi
Engineering Department
5
Mr. Durga Lal Maharjan
Engineering Department
6
Mr. Ganga Prasad Khatiwoda
General Service Division
7
Mr. Ganga Ram Khawas
TIA Marketing
8
Mr. Gita Jung Basnet
Transport Section
9
Mr. Hari Bahadur K.C.
Security Division
10
Mr. Khagendra Bahadur Basnet
Human Resource Department
11
Mr. Krishna Bahadur Thapa
Security Division
12
Mr. Mangal Singh Malla
Engineering Finance
13
Mr. Mangesh Thapa
Engineering Department
14
Mr. Manoj Kumar Bhandari
Engineering Department
15
Mr. Padam Raj Ghimire
Transport Section
16
Mr. Ram Bahadur Thapa
Security Division
17
Mr. Ram Kumar Luitel
Dhangadhi Station
18
Mr. Ram Prasad Magar
Transport Section
19
Mr. Ratan Rai
TIA Marketing
20
Mrs. Shanta Acharya
Jawalakhel Sales Counter
21
Mrs. Shova Rani Kunwar
Engineering Department
22
Mr. Tirtha Bahadur Khawas
Transport Section
23
Mr. Uddhav Subedi
Reservations
24
Mr. Upendra Kumar Majhi
Revenue Division
25
Mr. Yuv Raj Adhikari
TIA Marketing
Yatra
January — March
loans from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the financial wing of the World Bank, though others had also tried loans from it. The chairman was also proud of the flight safety record the airline has. He said Buddha Air has never suffered crash in its 12-year-old history. “We enjoy a special place in the history of airline due to our safety records,” he said. “Our flights are punctual too,” he added. Basnet also talked about the management’s new policy to systemize the airline. “We have five departments where employees can evaluate themselves,” he said. According to him, the various programs implemented by the management are slowly paying off, and things are changing for better. He was of the view that the airline has made a giant leap after the import of the ATR planes. “It is a big project,” he said and requested the employees to put in their best efforts to turn the project into a grand success. “All of you should contribute from your level for its success,” he said. At the end of the program, some took to the dance floor, while others enjoyed drinking and talking. The celebration went well into the midnight. s
3
a t r
Buddha operation meets int'l standards: ATR Company
W
hile flying high, it is quite natural to have officials. doubts and feelings of being unsafe. But During the three-day inspection beginning Oct 11, relax and take it easy because you are with the officials inspected almost everything including Buddha Air. Our flights are always safe. We make no ground handling, piloting, engineering department, compromise when it comes to flight safety, and that’s spare parts, loading, reloading, marketing and the the reason why Buddha Air stands where it is today. ways the airline officials acted. They also visited the And it has been proven by ATR Company. After airline’s two outstations -- Janakpur and Pokhara. inspecting the operation of ATRs planes in Buddha After the three-day-long inspection, they congratulated Air, the Company has concluded that it is a “world the airline for paying attentions to minute details. class operation”. “From our side, we report that Buddha Every year, ATR Company Air meets good standards with respect “You have been inspects the operation of its aircrafts operating the planes to the procedures and flight safety,” purchased by various airlines in such a way that we states the report prepared by the worldwide and makes necessary probably don’t need to officials. recommendations for improvements. True, Buddha Air’s skilled visit you next year,” Senior Customer Liaison manager Raj manpower and committed ATR Officer, France Nair, Flight Instructor Captain Francis management are doing everything Entemeyer and Airlines Support Area possible for the safety of its flights and Engineer Gilles Grancher came to Nepal to inspect the making its project a grand success. The inspection and operation of ATR planes in Buddha Air. But they did subsequent conclusion by the ATR officials has given not have anything to recommend, for they found the moral boost to Buddha Air and considers it as a proof planes being operated perfectly. They concluded that of its achievement. the ATR planes being operated by Buddha Air stands Buddha Air is also all set to construct its out and meets all the international standards. “You own hanger at domestical terminal of Tribhuvan have been operating the planes in such a way that we International Airport, Kathmandu. The hanger will may not need to visit the airline next year,” said the expand over 1444 sq. ft. inside the airport. s
4
BUDDHA
Yatra
January — March
e - t i c k e t i n g
aair.com/online
dh http://www.bud
E-ticketing
with Buddha Air
B
uddha Air has begun e-ticketing services for Nepali passengers. In collaboration with F1 Soft International, Buddha Air started issuing e-ticketing to Nepali nationals. Please go through the following facts before proceeding with online eticketing system. For this purpose, e-sewa website, operated by F1 Soft International, will act as the intermediary where all the transaction will be conducted for the purpose of buying Buddha Air tickets. F1 Soft International will transfer the money you have paid to buy your tickets to Buddha Air. Passenger must register with e-sewa to use the above-mentioned services. Registration with e-sewa is a simple process. The website will provide the registrant with user ids (email id) and passwords and an initial zero balance account. After registering with e-sewa, you will find three ways to purchase Buddha Air’s e-tickets. First scenario If you have enough balance with e-sewa, you can directly purchase Buddha Air’s e-tickets. Please visit esewa site https://esewa.com.np to know how
BUDDHA
Yatra
January — March
to maintain balance and also withdraw amounts. You will enjoy your rights to transfer certain amounts from partner banks to your esewa account and you can also withdraw the amount from your esewa account and transfer it to partner banks. Second scenario If you don’t have enough balance with e-sewa, you can make direct payment from the following banks, Bank of Asia Global Bank Third scenario The banks mentioned below do not accept direct payment, but you can transfer required amounts to your esewa account online, which can be used for the purchase of our e-tickets. Laxmi Bank Kumari Bank Citizen Bank (Note: We are working with other banks as well and the finalized banks will be added to the above list shortly) Detail procedure of eticketing system of Buddha Air Visit our website http://www.buddhaair.com/online Follow the link to e-sewa by clicking
online e-ticketing system which will redirect you to e-sewa page. Proceed to become a member of e-sewa. Log on to e-sewa after getting your user id (email id) and password. Please select the service to purchase tickets online. You will be asked to provide one way ticket or a roundtrip one, please select the desired one and select the flight date and sector pair, number of adults and children. Next screen will display the flights and check boxes with different timings and different fare schemes. Seats are available only on those flights where the boxes can be selected. If you can’t click any boxes, please try a different date. Next screen will ask you for the passenger’s name, Mileage Id No, and Contact Number. So fill them up. Once you click the confirm button and if you have enough balance with esewa, e-tickets shall be issued. Otherwise a message will be displayed. At that time you can log on to your bank which is displayed in the screen. Once you log on to your bank, you will be asked to pay the required amount to purchase the ticket. Immediately after you pay for the ticket, your e-ticket will be issued. E-ticket in PDF format will be generated which can be printed directly or you can save it for further process. s
5
R o y a l
c l ub
Royal Club Mileage Chart Effective from 17 September 2008
S.N.
SECTOR
1
GOLD
PLATINUM
APEX
B. FARE
NORMAL
APEX
B FARE
KTM-SIF
109
71
24
121
79
26
960
2
KTM-BHR
133
87
29
147
96
32
1160
3
KTM-JKR
161
105
35
177
116
39
1400
4
KTM-PKR
173
113
38
190
124
41
1500
5
KTM-BWA
230
150
50
253
165
55
2000
6
KTM-BIR
276
180
60
305
199
66
2400
7
KTM-BDP
288
188
63
316
206
69
2500
8
KTM-KEP
426
278
93
468
305
102
3700
9
KTM-MTN
460
300
100
506
330
110
4000
10
KTM-DHI
690
450
150
759
495
165
6000
Third NATTA Himalayan International Travel Mart Lucky Draw Winner 1. Anil Kumar Sama Shiva Shankar Photo Studio, Thannkot 2.
AWARDS
NORMAL
Madhu Jung Pandey Balaju, Kathmandu
Yatra Lucky Winners for Mountain Flight 1.
Mahesh Mangal Joshi
2.
Bikash Shrestha
3.
Sonal Kumari
Mountain Flight Winners
Mountain Flight Winners
It is the official milleage card carrier of Buddha Air Main Features
Clearing & Forwarding Service
Fastest Delivery Service
Cargo Service in any part of Nepal
Proof of Delivery System
Door to door pickup & delivery system
On Board Courier (OBC)
By Air Service in Emergency
Largest Network in Nepal
Domestic & Worldwide Express
Scud Express (P) Ltd.
Khichapokhari, Kathmandu, Tel : 4219103/4219104, Fax: 4222223 Mobile: 9851098364, 9841438743, 9841327934, 9841617562
6
BUDDHA
Yatra
January — March
m i s c e l l a n e o u s
W
ith the onset of winter, it is quite natural that flights are delayed or cancelled due to poor visibility. Owing to the poor visibility problem, it is difficult to predict when the first flight takes place. We are extremely sorry for the delay. Buddha Air has tried to counter the problem by launching its first flight relatively late in the morning and with sufficient time gaps between flights. However, sometimes fog stays for up to 11 a.m. in Kathmandu. Similar is the situation in the Terai. Cold waves across the southern plains of Nepal during winter seasons
Flight Delay lead to extreme flight delays and even cancellations. With the proliferation of airlines, the number of flights has gone up at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). And while the number of flights increased over the years, the size of the airport did not. This has congested the airport. If not addressed immediately, the situation will only deteriorate in the future. The problem is aggravated by an increasing number of VIP flights to and from TIA.
We are extremely sorry and apologize to our valued passengers for flight delays, which is in fact not a fault of ours. The first criterion for a profitable airline operation is to utilize all available aircrafts to their maximum. But we are not in a position to add extra aircrafts to compensate delays during the short foggy season -- that usually lasts three months. The problem of flight delay has been aggravated this year due to the above-mentioned reasons, but Buddha Air is trying its best to counter it.
New leadership at Buddha Air independent employees union
B
uddha Air held the first-ever election of its employees’ union last month. The 13member union is led by Ram Prasad Bhusal. The employees’ union at the airline was first created last year and was led by Ratna Rai. With full cooperation from the management, the union was set up for the protection and promotion of the rights of the employees. Back then, the airline management had pointed out the need of a union as the airline grew in size and strength over the years. The management had welcomed the union as it was becoming difficult to deal with individual employees in person. Since last year, the union has been BUDDHA
Yatra
January — March
The new union officials President : Ram Prasad Bhusal Senior Vice-President : Babita Manandhar Vice-President : Chhapanna Lal Rajbanshi General secretary: Prakash Kayastha Secretary: Kamal Raj Lamichhane Treasurer: Ramesh Prasad Ghimire Members Binita Thapa Baital Bhagat Tharu Saroj Dutta Pandey Bhakta Bahadur Basnet Dipesh KC Pankaj KC Ranjana Bhandari
aggregating the grievances of individual employees and holding talks with the management in a package to address them. The management has congratulated the newly elected the new leadership and institutionalization of the union. The union is currently taking initiatives for salary hike. The management has taken the demand seriously and assured the union that it would take a decision in this regard soon. s
7
l e t t e r
Arrange vehicles to pick up and drop passengers. You may charge extra for this service. It will be a great relief for passengers in the airports outside the Kathmandu Valley. Also, serve passengers with light snacks. Besides, please send Yatra magazine to all the flyers who are interested in it. You can arrange an electronic copy as most international airlines do. Likewise, send us mails providing us with extra information about your airline. n Nibedan Baidya, Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu
HA
BUD
D
Arrange vehicles to pick up and drop passengers
No. 17 May 2009
w w w . b u d d h a a i r . c o m
A
pril 2, 2009 will be remembered as an important day in the history of Buddha Air. For the first time since its inception some 12 years ago, Buddha Air employees announced an independent union to assert and defend their rights. Simultaneously, the union representatives put forward a 16-point demand and sat for talks with the management at the airline headquarters in Jawalakhel. After hours-long talks, the union representatives and the management reached an agreement to address the grievances of the employees, and go ahead together for the betterment of the airline. To the surprise of many, the Buddha Air management cordially welcomed the union formation. Unlike other business organizations in Kathmandu, the management did not take the union as a trouble-maker. The union is an independent, not affiliated with any political party. The union leaders said they wanted welfare of the employees and that they had no ulterior motives. “We welcome it whole-heartedly,” said Buddha Air Managing Director Birendra Bahadur Basnet. With the airline getting larger by the day, it was becoming increasing difficult for him
Employee for collective bargaining to deal with the employees personally. “Now half of the burden is off my head,” he said. He hoped that the union would work as an aggregator of the employees’ grievances, and bring them to his table. The 11-member union is headed by Ratna Rai. He said the union has now become essential as the airline
The 11-members committee Ratna Rai
PrEsiDEnt
Ram Psd Bhusal Prakash Basnet
VicE PrEsiDEnt GEnErAl sEcrEtAry
Rupesh Lama
Asst sEcrEtAry
Bharat Silwal
trEAsUrEr
MEMBErs
Gokul Bhattarai Prakash Kayastha shikha Hamal ratnaman rajbhandari Krishna Bahadur Khatri
has grown in size over the years. “There are tensions brewing at the grassroots levels. A union is a must to give an outlet to that the tension,” said Rai clarifying the importance of a trade union in the airline. He also clarified that union is not meant for creating trouble in the airline. “I hope that the management will pay heed to our genuine demands, and we will have a very cordial relationship with the management,” he said. The union and the management struck a 16-point deal. The management agreed to meet most of the demands, but stated that salary review could be done in the month of December only. The management argued that December will be the best month for salary review as the organization will have consolidated by that time. Of the total 502 employees at the airline, the union has collected the signatures of 266.s
Prasant Bikram rana
1
Arrange early morning flights
Operate flights to remote districts
Please arrange early morning flights so that passengers can reach Kathmandu by 9 a.m. from various cities of Nepal. It is good that you have added ATRs to your fleet. It is a new milestone in the history of air service in Nepal. n Dr. Saroj Prasad Ojha, TU Teaching Hospital, KTM
Buddha Air should operate flights to remote areas like Humla, Dolpa, and Mugu. n Nara Bahadur Shahi Kapan, Kathmandu
Provide sugar-free drinks
Basanta Pradhan, Biratnagar Buddha Air should also operate flights to hilly and mountainous districts. n Pramesh Paudel
Provide light snacks during long journey. I will appreciate if you can provide sugar-free drinks for diabetes patients. n Husna Banu Sheikh Gyaneshor, Kathmandu
Add more planes to your fleet I am satisfied with the airline service. You should focus on maintaining schedules. Besides, I have seen people not getting tickets. So you should add more flights. n Bijaya Kumar Pokharel Department of hydrology and meteorology, Babarmahal
8
It is a good airline. I just want to say that you have to extend flights to remote districts as well. n
Reduce Airfare
You should reduce airfare and import small planes to operate flight to remote district. n Jagganath Upadhyaya, Jumla
Inform us about mountains during mountain flights Pilots must tell us about the names of the mountains during mountain flights. I have never been shown which one is Mt Everest! n Bojoy Basant Patro
Be careful about luggage You have to be careful about luggage. I have found some of my stuffs broken twice. n Virendra Singh Thagunna Kanchanpur, Mahendranagar
Punctual flights
Flights should be on time. Flights should be operated in remote areas as well. Offer some extra packages to attract passengers. n Dhan Singh Thami Lazimpat, Kathmanudu
Automatic mileage recording mechanism If possible provide snacks during long flights that more than 45 minutes. Develop some automatic mileage recording mechanism, and make Yatra a regular magazine adding timely information. n Krishna Hari Koirala, Nepal Redcross Society
Interview of frequent flyers
Ensure punctuality and safety, serve peanuts, and brief passengers on major places and destinations during flights. Mention comments and suggestions provided by flyers in this magazine. Also, publish interviews of frequent flyers in this magazine. n Tej Bahadur Sunar, Argakhanchi
Expensive tickets
Buddha Air is a very good and reliable airline, but it is a bit expensive. With large planes in service, I am sure the flight operating cost will go down resulting in the reduction of airfare. n Uma Rai Action Aid, Kathmandu BUDDHA
Yatra
January — March'09
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10
BUDDHA
Yatra
January — March