December 1: Simrik Air has added a new Bell 407 GXP in its chopper list. Landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on November 29, the helicopter was formally inaugurated on November 30 amid a program at the airport. Issuing a press statement, the company said that the helicopter is manufactured in Canada by Bell Helicopter of Textron Company USA. As per the statement, the helicopter landed at TIA  at 5 in the evening after the conclusion of the agreement on purchase between Simrik Air and Bell Helicopter in Singapore. The helicopter arrived at Kathmandu via air routes of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

According to the press statement, the helicopter is a new version of Bell 407 GXP of Bell Helicopter. “It has fully intergraded glass flight deck with Garmin G1000H which helps in the continuous flow flight information for safety,” informs the company. “Designed for luxury travel, the Bubul windows of the helicopter are regarded as comfortable for photography. The chopper has four main rotor blade with 643 KW FADEC Rolls-Royce 250-C47B/8 turbine engine.”

Similarly, the six seated chopper can carry 1160kg cargo in a flight. The helicopter has standard fuel capacity of 483.8 liters which can cover flight range of 624km and can endure four hours with the Service Ceiling (pressure altitude) of 18,940 feets.

“With the aim to help in the promotion of internal tourism, we are operating two AS350 B3e, a AS350 B2 and a Bell 407 GXP helicopter. And within one month we are planning to make permanent station in Pokhara,” said the company.