NOVO AIR
IATA ICAO Callsign
VQ NVQ NOVOAIR
Founded2007
Commenced operations9 January 2013[1]
HubsShahjalal International Airport
Frequent-flyer programSmiles[2]
Fleet size7
Destinations8
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Key people
Websiteflynovoair.com

NOVOAIR (Bengali: নভোএয়ার) is a Bangladeshi airline based in Dhaka[3] operating mostly domestic flights. It operates 25 flights each day from Dhaka to its eight destinations.[4][5]

History

NOVOAIR was established in October 2007 as an aviation service provider as the business diversification of parent company Tusuka Group with directors Arshad Jamal, Faiz Khan, Mofizur Rahman, and Fayzur Rahman Badal. The process of establishing a scheduled airline began in late 2011. NOVOAIR launched a commercial operation on 9 Jan 2013 with Embraer 145 jet aircraft. Later the Embraer fleet was replaced with ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft. The airline currently operates to all domestic destinations of the country, with the lone international destination of Kolkata.

In July 2013, NOVOAIR launched Smiles, the frequent-flyer program of the airline.[6] Smiles is the first frequent-flyer program for domestic flights in Bangladesh's aviation history. Tiered benefits include special offers, travel packages, waiting list priority, priority services (sales counter, check-in and boarding) and excess baggage allowance.[2]

NOVOAIR received the Monitor's best domestic airlines award in 2014.[7]

A Novoair Embraer ERJ 145 at Osmani International Airport

NOVOAIR launched international flights on 1 December 2015.[8] The airline is consolidating its domestic network and eyeing

for expansion in international sectors.

In December 2020, the airline expressed its plan to add three more small-sized aircraft and three mid-sized Airbus A320 by 2022 to extend its international operations to Singapore, Doha, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur alongside Bagdogra, Chennai and Guwahati of India. But due to COVID-19 pandemic the plan has been postponed.[9]

Services

As of its seventh anniversary on 9 January 2020, the airline had operated 61,599 flights to domestic destinations and its only international destination, Kolkata, carrying more than 3.33 million passengers.[10]

Destinations

As of 2018, Novoair serves the following destinations:[11]

Country City Airport Notes/ref.
 Bangladesh BarishalBarishal AirportSuspended
ChattogramShah Amanat International Airport
Cox's BazarCox's Bazar Airport
DhakaShahjalal International AirportHub
JashoreJessore Airport
RajshahiShah Makhdum Airport
SaidpurSaidpur Airport
SylhetOsmani International Airport
 IndiaKolkataNetaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport [12]

Fleet

As of December 2019 the Novoair fleet consists of the following aircraft.[13][14][15]

Novoair fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers
(Economy)		 Notes
ATR 72-500 7 0 68 1 unserviceable
Total7

Novoair was the first and so far the only Bangladeshi airline to use Embraer ERJ 145. However, they later focused on an all-ATR fleet. On 15 December 2019, the airline added its seventh aircraft.[16]

Incidents

Novoair aircraft (VQ-967) has suffered a tire burst while landing at Saidpur Airport on Nov 17, 2021. The plane that carried 70 passengers was made to stop on the runway, and no casualties were reported.[17]

On Nov 17, 2019, the Novoair flight's tire burst while landing at Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi. There were 33 passengers on board at the time, but no injuries were reported.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Novoair starts flying". The Daily Star. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 "NOVOAIR - truly yours".
  3. ↑ "NOVOAIR - truly yours".
  4. ↑ "অভ্যন্তরীণ রুটে ফ্লাইট বাড়াল নভোএয়ার". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 19 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "অভ্যন্তরীণ রুটের সেরা এয়ারলাইন নভোএয়ার". প্রথম আলো (in Bengali). Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "Novo Air launches frequent-flyer programme". New Age. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bangladeshi frequent flyers vote for the best". Bangladesh Monitor. 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "NovoAir starts flight to Yangon". The Daily Star. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Express, The Financial. "More international carriers may be allowed to operate to and from Dhaka". The Financial Express. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "৭ বছরে ৩৩ লাখ যাত্রী বহন করেছে নভোএয়ার". প্রথম আলো (in Bengali). Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "Route Map". Novoair. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "NOVOAIR adds Kolkata service in Dec 2016". routesonline.com. Routes Online. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World: 5. October 2019.
  14. ↑ "4th Aircraft added on NOVOAIR Fleet – NOVOAIR".
  15. ↑ "Novoair adds new aircraft to fleet". The Daily Star. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "নভোএয়ারে যুক্ত হলো সপ্তম উড়োজাহাজ". প্রথম আলো (in Bengali). Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  17. ↑ "Novoair plane's tyre bursts while landing at Saidpur airport, flights suspended". The Business Standard. 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  18. ↑ "Novoair flight's tyre bursts while landing at Rajshahi airport". Dhaka Tribune. 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2022-01-06.

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