Bell Helicopter and Simrik Air celebrate first Bell 407GXP delivery in Nepal

Bell Helicopter announced the delivery of the first Bell 407GXP to Nepal with customer Simrik Air. This is the customer’s first Bell helicopter and is outfitted for multi-mission capabilities, including travel and tourism and search and rescue. Bell Helicopter and Simrik Air commemorated the delivery at a special ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Simrik Air, established in 2001, is a leading helicopter company in Nepal with a superior track record in high altitude rescue services. Simrik Air’s trained pilots and rescue specialists from the United States and Switzerland carry out long line missions for rescues, heli skiing missions, filming operations, aerial surveying, and more.

“At Simrik Air, we are proud to provide our customers with reliability, innovation and one of the best safety records in Nepal and believe the addition of the Bell 407GXP will allow us to continue to serve our customers,” said Capt. Rameshwar Thapa, Chairman, Simrik Air Pvt Ltd. “We are excited to be the first customer in Nepal to operate this incredible aircraft and celebrate this milestone with Bell Helicopter.”

Last November, Bell Helicopter successfully completed a demonstration tour of the Bell 407GXP throughout Nepal. The demonstration included flights in Kathmandu, Nepal and into the Mount Everest Base Camp area. While there, the Bell 407GXP successfully climbed to an altitude of 20,000 feet. The demonstration flight was executed from Lukla airfield and demonstrated several landings from 13,500 ft. to 19,600 ft. near the Everest Base Camp.

“Simrik Air was able to test the aircraft and experience first-hand the incredible performance of the Bell 407GXP during the Nepal demonstration tour and, as a result, selected this aircraft to join its fleet,” said Sameer A. Rehman, managing director, Asia Pacific. “Operating helicopters in the highest terrain on the planet presents unique challenges, and the Bell 407GXP meets those challenges as the ideal platform for this demanding environment.”

Derived from the Bell 407GX platform, the Bell 407GXP has an additional 50 lbs. (22.5 kg) of payload capability, coupled with the new M250 Rolls-Royce engine that improves performance and fuel efficiency delivering class leading hot and high performance. The aircraft is also equipped with new avionics features, such as a hover performance calculator improvement, as well as a transmission TBO extension of +500 hours that is expected to lower maintenance costs.

“It has been a privilege to work with Simrik Air and Capt. Thapa as we carefully understood their operations, and are proud of their selection of the Bell 407GXP to meet their needs,” added Rehman. “We look forward to growing our presence in this region by providing advanced performance capabilities and outstanding customer support and service for which Bell Helicopter is known.”