Five years ago, Aurangabad tycoons had famously ordered 150 Mercs at the same time.There was a point to the gesture. The city's wealthy wanted to draw attention to its economic clout and also to how poorly air-connected it is. "Aurangabad is air-connected to only Mumbai and Delhi. But we have so many business houses here that the city could easily fill flights to cities like Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Indore, and Ahmedabad," says Sacheen Mulay, head of the Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture.
Around 46% of India's ultra high-net-worth individuals live in small cities, most of which are starved for flight options. But running daily Airbus A320s or Boeing 737 flights to and from these cities is not a profitable proposition. What would make better business sense are regional airlines that typically operate aircraft with 70-120 seats.
It is precisely this idea that quite a few entrepreneurs are set to test in the coming months, especially in south India. Currently, Vijaywada-based regional carrier Air Costa operates Embraer aircraft to places like Vizag, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru and so on. Air Carnival, TruJet, and FLYeasy — all based in the south — are ready to take to the skies once the aviation regulator grants them licenses. The first to kick-start operations is Air Pegasus, the commercial aviation arm of Decor Aviation, a company that offers ground handling services. Its first flight from Bengaluru to Hubballi will take off today.
12/04/15 Times of India
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Around 46% of India's ultra high-net-worth individuals live in small cities, most of which are starved for flight options. But running daily Airbus A320s or Boeing 737 flights to and from these cities is not a profitable proposition. What would make better business sense are regional airlines that typically operate aircraft with 70-120 seats.
It is precisely this idea that quite a few entrepreneurs are set to test in the coming months, especially in south India. Currently, Vijaywada-based regional carrier Air Costa operates Embraer aircraft to places like Vizag, Tirupati, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru and so on. Air Carnival, TruJet, and FLYeasy — all based in the south — are ready to take to the skies once the aviation regulator grants them licenses. The first to kick-start operations is Air Pegasus, the commercial aviation arm of Decor Aviation, a company that offers ground handling services. Its first flight from Bengaluru to Hubballi will take off today.
12/04/15 Times of India
