India’s Newest Airline Takes Off - India Report

19.03.2024 - 03:09 / skift.com / Pieter Elbers / Qantas Airways / Bulbul Dhawan / Airlines

The first commercial flight of India’s newest airline, Fly91, took off on Monday. The Goa-based airline’s maiden flight was on the Goa-Bengaluru route. Its next flight is scheduled for Tuesday between Goa and Hyderabad. 

Fly91 began with an aim to revolutionize the regional aviation landscape in the country. In an earlier interview with Skift, managing director and CEO Manoj Chacko said that Fly91 would serve regional airports in India as these are underserved despite accounting for a 30% share in domestic passengers.

Poised for growth: Fly91 is looking to have about 350 members in its staff by the time it completes one year of operations. It is also looking at increasing its current two-aircraft fleet, with the intention of adding four planes within the first year. 

The airline does not currently need to raise funds as it is getting the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under central government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN, Chacko said. For the regional sectors that Fly91 has secured, if it operates on a full schedule, then it will get an annual Viability Gap Funding of INR 2 billion ($24 million).

India’s largest airline IndiGo is strengthening its international network. The airline, which already holds nearly 60% of the domestic market share, is set to commence direct flights between Mumbai and Colombo, Sri Lanka starting next month. 

The budget carrier has also announced 11 new codeshare routes in Australia starting March 31. This is as part of IndiGo’s partnership with Australia’s national carrier Qantas Airways. 

The airline has been aggressively expanding its international operations. In an interview with Indian media, CEO Pieter Elbers said that the company’s strategy is to turn IndiGo into a global airline. Last year, the airline ordered 500 Airbus A320neo family aircraft as part of its expansion plans.

ITC Hotels has announced its entry into the northeast region of India. This has come as the company has signed a 60-room Welcomhotel in Gangtok. The company has been actively working towards growing its presence in east and northeast India, said CEO Anil Chadha on the occasion. 

The Indian hospitality company is seeking to increase its room inventory by 50% over the next five years, with about 6,000 rooms across 70 hotels. This would continue the company’s momentum over the past two years. Between January 2022 and December 2023, ITC Hotels opened 22 hotels. 

Radisson Hotel Group has signed its first hotel in Odisha with Pramod Lands End Resort. The 100-room property is a part of Radisson Individuals brand, and is set to open this year. The company has been looking to expand to lesser explored regions. According to Davashish Srivastava, senior director – development, South Asia, Radisson Hotel