The airline was founded in 2009 from the remainders of ill-fated Guna Airlines, which it acquired for NRs 350 million, after latter ceased trading due to financial difficulties.[7][8] Simrik Airlines used the Brand of Guna for some more time before renaming and repainting the two Beechcraft 1900 aircraft, that were previously operated by Guna Airlines.[9] On 23 October 2013, Simrik Airlines signed a contract with Agni Air leasing five aircraft of Agni Air, three BAe Jetstream 41 and two Dornier 228, after the airline's planes had been grounded since mid-November 2012, as the airline was affected by severe debts.[10][11] After selling the two Dornier 228s in mid-2017, Simrik Airlines was left with only two functioning planes, as the Jetstream planes of former Agni Air continued to be grounded.[12]
In August 2019, Simrik Airlines was forced to halt operations by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, who found that the airline was using "substandard spare parts".[13] One month later, the Civil Aviation Authority granted flight permission again.[14]
In 2020, first reports appeared stating that Guna Airlines would be reestablished, discontinuing the brand Simrik Airlines.[15] In early 2021, the airline announced that it would buy five BAe Jetstream 41 from Yeti Airlines to restart operation under the brand name Guna Airlines, discontinuing Simrik Airlines.[6]
On 16 September 2021, operations of Guna Air began again with regular flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara and Bharatpur, discontinuing the brand Simrik Airlines.[16]
Destinations
Simrik Airlines operated flights to the three destinations from Kathmandu Airport at the time of closure in 2021:[17]
The airline also offered daily sightseeing mountain flights from Kathmandu. The flights departed in the early morning hours and returned to the airport one hour later.[21]
On April 10, 2015, the nose wheel tyre of the landing gear of a Simrik Airlines Dornier 228 was punctured upon landing at Lukla Airport. There were no casualties reported. The incident occurred at 10:00 am and the runway was reopened at 1:00 pm.[24]
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