Buddha Air has officially grounded its ATR 42 aircraft, registration number 9N-AIN. The aircraft, which entered commercial service on September 17, 2008, made its final mountain flight on Tuesday morning.
After completing a remarkable 70,000 flight cycles, the aircraft has been decommissioned and placed in a hangar. Buddha Air employees bid farewell to the historic plane with a water salute at Tribhuvan International Airport.
The ATR 42 is the first aircraft produced by the ATR company to reach this significant milestone. According to ATR regulations, commercial flights are not permitted beyond 70,000 flight cycles.
The aircraft, with a seating capacity of 47 passengers, has served over 1.8 million passengers during its 16-year career. It completed 40,000 flight cycles in Nepal alone.
