Skift Take
The Indian aviation industry is rapidly growing, but continues to be underserved, be it in terms of airports or airlines. This creates a significant opportunity for new players to enter the market and fill the gap.
The Skift India Newsletter is your go-to platform for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.
Travel services operator Alhind Group based in Kerala’s Kozhikode has received the Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s initial approval to start an airline. Alhind aims to commence operations of Alhind Air by the end of 2024.
According to reports, the company is planning an initial investment between INR 2-5 billion ($24-60 million) with three ATR-72 turboprop planes. The airline’s initial focus is expected to be in South India: Kochi, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai, after which it will become eligible to operate flights between Kerala and West Asia.
Last month, low-cost airline Air Kerala also received the no-objection certificate (NOC) from India’s ministry of civil aviation. Run by Dubai-based businessmen Afi Ahmed and Ayub Kallada, Air Kerala hopes to commence operations by next year and connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities using ATR 72-600 aircraft. It is eventually hoping to branch out into international operations. Air Kerala is set to become the first regional airline from Kerala, unless Alhind Air begins operations earlier.
In March this year, Manoj Chacko's Fly91 commenced operations from its base in Goa. The airline operates between Goa, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Lakshadweep, Pune and Jalgaon.
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