Buddha Air is Nepal’s leading privately owned airline, renowned for its safety, reliability, and extensive domestic network. Established in 1997 by Surendra Bahadur Basnet and his son Birendra Bahadur Basnet, the airline began with a single Beechcraft 1900D and has since expanded to a fleet of 18 aircraft, including ATR 42-300 and ATR 72-500 models. Headquartered in Lalitpur, Buddha Air operates over 100 flights daily to more than 15 destinations across Nepal and offers international services to Varanasi, India. The airline holds a dominant 60% market share in Nepal's domestic pressurized aircraft sector and is widely regarded as the safest airline in the country, backed by an A2+ credit rating from ICRA. Buddha Air also provides aircraft maintenance services to other regional carriers and is constructing a new hangar at Pokhara International Airport to support its future growth.