MDLR Airlines set to resume services in six months

Mumbai: MDLR Airlines Private Ltd, a regional carrier that closed down in 2009, plans to restart operations in six months under the brand name Jet Sapphire, according to a report in the Mint. The Gurgaon-based airline has hired Shakti Lumba, who set up the operations of InterGlobe Aviation Private Ltd-run low-cost carrier IndiGo in 2005 and, before that, Air India Ltd’s regional arm Alliance Air, to head the airline.
“The three aircraft that we have will be used for our flights to start with, and we are also in talks for more aircraft,” Lumba, who quit IndiGo in December 2009, said. With India’s domestic passenger market growing in double digits, several carriers are looking to open regional operations. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet Ltd announced its entry into the regional market with its newly acquired Bombardier Q400 aircraft. GR Gopinath, former Air Deccan chief is launching charter services to connect several airports in Gujarat, while Jet Airways (India) Ltd has said Hyderabad will be a hub for more short-haul flights.
The domestic passenger market, which grew at 18 per cent last year, is expected to outpace capacity addition by airlines this year, consulting firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa) said in its April outlook for 2011. Traffic will grow at 17-18 per cent, and possibly by 20 per cent, it predicted.
Until now, running stand-alone regional operations has not been a successful business in India. There are no exclusively regional airlines operating at present, although national carriers such as Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines do run regional services.
22/04/11 Travel Biz Monitor

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Categories: MDLR Apr 2011