KATHMANDU: Guna Airlines started its operations from on Tuesday. Promoted by the Guna group of companies, it launched its flight in the Nepali sky with two Beechcraft 1900s.

“Currently we are flying on the Kathmandu-Pokhara-Kathmandu, Kathmandu-Biratnagar-Kathmandu, Kathmandu-Nepalgunj-Kathmandu and mountain flights,” said Rajendra Shakya, executive chairman of Guna Airlines.

Shakya said Guna is concerned about safety measures and that safety plans are carefully followed and regulated on a daily basis under the guidelines of ICAO and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

Beechcraft 1900 — a 19-seater aircraft — simply called the ‘Beech’, is a pressurised twin-engine aircraft used as a corporate transport by several governments and the military around the world.

The aircraft is capable of flying well in excess of 970 km/h and is the most popular in the domestic sector.

“With focus on safety and service, Guna aims to hold out a steady competition to the already established market-leaders in the aviation service sector,” Shakya said.

The airlines has also brought various discount schemes — for the time being — for infant, group of 16 full adult fare paying passengers and for 11 full adult fare paying passengers.

The new airlines’ entry in the national sky will centainly fuel competition, even though the Nerpali sky is not so crowded yet.

Guna empire was initiated as a small gold shop known as Guna Jewellers in Patan in 1984 and it has now grown into a multi-industry company in the short span of just 25 years.

By 1997, Guna Cinema Pvt Ltd, Guna Co-Operative Ltd, Asian Food Cold Storage Pvt Ltd, Guna Colony Pvt Ltd, Guna Smriti Sewa, Gyan Bikash Secondary School, Stupa Housing Pvt Ltd had already come in operation under the group, said the company management.