BAE Systems Regional Aircraft announced Monday the company has concluded an agreement with Nepalese regional carrier Yeti Airlines for the long-term lease of four 29-seat Jetstream 41 regional turboprop airliners.

The first aircraft (file photo of type, right) was delivered to the carrier’s Kathmandu base in early May, and the remaining three aircraft  will follow over the coming months.

Yeti Airlines is a privately owned carrier that first commenced operations in September 1998. It currently operates a fleet of four 19-seat DHC6-300 Twin Otters and three 36-seat Saab 340Bs.

Representatives with BAE tell Aero-News the airline offers the most intensive domestic network of any Nepalese airline, with a concentration of flights serving the rural inaccessible areas of the country. It also operates charter flights and works closely with Thamserku Trekking, Nepal’s largest adventure travel company to offer its famous Himalayan scenic mountain flights which are popular with incoming tour groups.

These include flights to Lukla –- known as the gateway to Mount Everest -- which lies at an elevation of 9,100 feet.

The newly-acquired Jetstream 41s will be used by Yeti Airlines to replace its fleet of Saab 340Bs which are utilised for the Everest sight-seeing mountain flights and for regional flights to destinations such as Pokhara, Biratnagar, Bhadrapur, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj.

BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is responsible for Customer Support, Engineering and Asset Management activities covering a world-wide base of 160 customers operating over 1,100 aircraft in addition to managing a trading and leasing portfolio of some 350 aircraft.

FMI: www.regional-services.com, www.yetiairlines.com