The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has grounded Guna Airlines (RMK, Kathmandu) amid allegations that the airline has failed to pay employee salaries, including for flight crews. Following the order, Guna Airlines paused flights on February 15.
According to the CAAN, the non-payment of salaries constitutes a safety risk. "It seems that the financial situation of the company is weak and there are arrears of employees and various sectors in the company," CAAN spokesman Jagannath Niraula told Kathmandu's Khabarhub portal. "We have written a letter saying that all flights should be stopped until further arrangements are made considering the risk When the staff can’t work properly, it could affect flight safety."
Before the grounding, Guna Airlines operated flights between Kathmandu and Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Nepalgunj, Pokhara International, and Tumling Tar using a fleet of two Beech 1900Ds and five Jetstream 41s. The airline was established in 2009 and rebranded to Simrik Airlines between 2013 and 2021 before reverting back to its original name. In 2019, the CAAN grounded the airline over aircraft airworthiness concerns. Two years later, in 2021, the airline was acquired by Kathmandu businessman Rajendra Shakya, who purchased the Jetstream 41s from Yeti Airlines (YT, Kathmandu), and successfully relaunched in 2021.
Multiple media reports on February 20 cite Prajol Thapa, Guna Airlines' director of sales and marketing, saying that no official letter had been received from the CAAN. He attributed the flight suspensions to pilot training and shortage of spare parts. "We were preparing to fly regularly from Monday. However, due to some reason, it was not possible to fly." ch-aviation has approached Guna Airlines and the CAAN for clarification.
Meanwhile, Thapa also advises that Guna Airlines is in the process of selling the five Jetstream 41s and will replace them with more modern aircraft. All five planes are aged between 1995 and 1997. Previously, outlets have reported that Guna Airlines intended to acquire an unspecified number of larger aircraft by 2024.
