Airliners-India.com

747-237 · Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 1:06 pm Post subject: Fly91 News -- Part 1

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/123306-indias-fly91-moots-debut-by-late-4q23

Fly91 moots debut by late 4Q23

10.01.2023

Mumbai-based private equity firm Convergent Finance and former Kingfisher Airlines executive Manoj Chacko have announced the formation of Fly91 (Goa Dabolim), a new Indian regional airline that aims to begin operations by December 2023.

In a joint statement, the parties said Convergent Finance and funds advised by the firm would anchor Fly91's initial INR2 billion rupee (USD24.3 million) investment.

UDO Aviation Private Limited, a holding company set up by Chacko that owns Fly91, has applied for a No Objection Certificate and for requisite security clearances from the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation. According to Chacko, Fly91 will operate a young fleet of ATR72-600s.

Fly91 aims to operate in the short-haul segment (45 and 90-minute flights), serving underserved regional airports under the Indian government's Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). Commercial operations will debut from Goa Dabolim, which will be the start-up's first base. The region is one of India's most popular tourist destinations.

Convergent Finance Managing Partner Harsha Raghavan will be Fly91's chairman, and Chacko will be the airline's chief executive officer. The latter has more than three decades of experience spanning airline, travel, and allied industries, amongst them executive positions at WNS Global Services, SOTC Travel, Kingfisher Airlines, and Emirates. Other members of the management team claim experience at various aviation companies, including Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Vistara, AirAsia, and Gulf Air.

As the co-founding partner, Convergent will work with Fly91 on operations, capital allocation, and long-term business strategy said Raghavan. "The India growth story goes beyond five metros, with nearly 50 cities having a population of more than one million. Manoj's vision to serve these cities and his decades of experience in India's airline and travel sectors makes him the kind of passionate entrepreneur whose idea we can back with our capital," he stated.

"Harsha and the Convergent team's operational expertise and deep networks will be invaluable as we build Fly91 to be India's leading pure-play regional airline. The funds we raise will ensure that we are well capitalised and that we can set up the airline for long-term success," Chacko added.

The name Fly91 relates to India's country code, 91.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

iah87 · Member Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 2565

That is what Indian aviation needs...one more new entrant. Why does the aviation industry attract so many new entrants even though the competition is fierce and most of them lost money. It is a mystery.

The_Goat · Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 1:01 pm Post subject:

An ex-KF fruitcake starting an airline. No sh*t Sherlock.
It won't get off the ground.
_________________
I don't know which is the more pampered bunch : AI's widebodies (the aunties) or Jet's widebodies (the planes).
-Jasepl

747-237 · Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2023 7:36 pm Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/128338-indias-fly91-to-open-goa-mopa-base

Fly91 to open Goa Mopa base

08.06.2023

Fly91 will become the first airline to be headquartered at the greenfield Goa Mopa Airport when it starts operations, tentatively scheduled for later this year, after it secures its air operator's certificate (AOC).

As previously reported, Fly91 aims to link Goa with second and third-tier airports around India, tapping into the Indian government's UDAN-RCS subsidised regional flying scheme. Founder and Kingfisher Airlines (Mumbai International) alumni Manoj Chacko said he plans to launch flights with a pair of ATR72-600s, building up to six aircraft within the first 12 months.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 4:47 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/130218-indias-fly91-secures-udan-route-allocations

Fly91 secures UDAN route allocations

28.07.2023

The Indian government has allocated start-up carrier Fly91 (Goa Dabolim) ten routes under its UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) making the announcement on July 25.

The latest round of UDAN route announcements focuses on connecting tier-two cities (populations between 50,000 and 100,000) and tier-three cities (populations between 20,000 and 50,000) with each other and larger tier-one cities. Under the scheme, the Indian government will subsidize fares on certain routes into designated airports operated by specific aircraft, namely those with passenger capacities of between 20 and 79 seats and other aircraft with a passenger capacity of 80 or more. The Indian government wants to use UDAN to put scheduled passenger services into at least 50 unserved regional airports and roll out approximately 1,000 new regional routes. Fly91, which aims to start scheduled services by the end of the year, was allocated the following routes.

Jalgaon - Pune;
Jalgaon - Goa Dabolim
Jalgaon - Hyderabad
Malvan Sindhudurg) - Pune;
Malvan (Sindhudurg) - Bangalore;
Malvan (Sindhudurg) - Hyderabad;
Nanded - Goa Dabolim;
Nanded - Bangalore;
Agatti - Pune
Agatti - Bangalore.

Fly91 CEO Manoj Chacko called the allocation a milestone moment for the startup. "We are committed and on track to launch our commercial operations, subject to regulatory approvals, later this year from our home base Goa," he said. While the airline is yet to secure its air operator's certificate, it has secured a no-objection certificate from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Fly91 intends to start operations with a pair of 76-passenger capacity ATR72-600s, building to six aircraft within 12 months of starting flights.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2023 5:08 am Post subject:

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/130490-indias-fly91-in-last-mile-partnership-talks

Fly91 in last-mile partnership talks

08.08.2023

The CEO of Indian startup Fly91 (Goa Dabolim) continues to position his prospective airline as a last-mile carrier that will "co-exist" with other carriers, according to the Mint outlet.

Manoj Chacko confirmed talks were underway with potential interline partners during an interview. "We are in discussions with two domestic and three international airlines," he said. "International airlines are especially keen to look at aligning our network with theirs so they can connect to some of the cities we would potentially connect."

Chacko says of the two Indian carriers he is talking to, one is a low-cost airline and the other full service. The CEO has previously discussed his last-mile strategy. When announcing the startup earlier this year, Chacko said he plans to fly into smaller Indian cities, unserved or underserved by existing carriers, calling it a "clear opportunity." He says the tier two and tier three cities are where the growth prospects are in the country. "We are building an airline in such a way that we want to be the last mile carrier."

Fly91 is eyeing a launch in November but is yet to secure its air operator's certificate. However, in April, the airline did gain a no-objection certificate from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Chacko wants to start operations using two ATR72-600s, building to six within the first 12 months. He says Fly91 will focus on short-haul segments (60 to 90 minutes). Last month, the carrier secured ten routes under India's UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme, connecting tier-two cities with each other and with tier-one cities.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.