Goa-based FLY91 airline gets DGCA nod to take off
India's aviation authority, the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA), has given the green light to FLY91, a new airline backed by industry veterans. With its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) in hand, FLY91 is set to kick off commercial flights soon. The airline recently acquired its first ATR 72-600 aircraft from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise and has been assigned initial routes under the government's regional air connectivity program, UDAN. It will operate from Goa airport, where it will also be headquartered.
FLY91's focus on last mile connectivity and remote locations
FLY91 is founded by Harsha Raghavan, former head of Fairfax India, and Manoj Chacko, former executive vice president of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The airline aims to connect remote locations within India. Chacko said last year, "From Goa, one of multiple destinations in Maharashtra and Karnataka like Hubbali, Shirdi, Nashik, Belgaum falls within the range of an ATR aircraft."
Potential codeshare and interline agreements with mainline carriers
Rather than competing with major carriers, FLY91 plans to collaborate with them through codeshare and interline agreements. Chacko said, "We will have an open API for our system. Any airline in the world which doesn't fly to a remote airport will be able to tie up with us to provide last mile connectivity to their customers on a single ticket." He noted that apart from IndiGo and SpiceJet, no airline has smaller turboprop aircraft fleets and could be potential partners.
