Shree Airlines (N9, Kathmandu) has grounded three of its four Bombardier Aerospace CRJ regional jets and is in talks to lease them out, as it seeks to operate only DHC-8-Q400s going forward, local industry news website Aviation Nepal has reported.

The ch-aviation Commercial Aviation Aircraft Data module shows that the carrier operates two CRJ200ERs, of which one - 9N-AMA (msn 7798) - remains active. The other unit of the type has been parked at Kathmandu since November 2021. Shree Airlines also has two CRJ700s in long-term storage.

According to the ch-aviation Commercial Aviation Aircraft Ownership Data module, Shree Airlines owns the parked CRJ200ER, while the remaining three aircraft are leased from Regional One.

The regional jets are not economically viable on the carrier's domestic network, where flight times rarely exceed 45 minutes. Due to soaring fuel prices, it prefers to operate these services with turboprops. While the mooted international routes would be longer and could justify using a regional jet, Shree Airlines has yet to commit to scheduled flights outside of Nepal.

Despite the grounding of the three CRJs, Shree Airlines plans to continue expanding its network. It currently operates four DHC-8-Q400s, including two delivered in 2019, one in December 2021, and one in January 2022. All four are active on domestic routes and are also owned by Regional One. Last year, it was authorised to expand its fleet of the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada turboprops to five units and possibly seven, subject to further evaluation once all five are operational.