Fly91 aims to serve 'Bharat Unbound' as it prepares to take off from Goa base

The latest entrant to Indian skies, new regional airline Fly91 is focusing on providing last-mile connectivity from its home base of Goa. The airline, whose logo is a flying butterfly with the tagline "Bharat Unbound", is hedging its bets on the ever-growing aviation industry in India and the expansion of the tourism sector centred around Goa.

It aims to fly to underserved locations by collaborating with larger airlines to connect to the smaller towns around Goa. In an interview with Moneycontrol, CEO Manoj Chacko said there is a need for professional players in regional aviation and Fly91 is looking to fill that gap.

Fly91 is helmed by aviation industry veterans such as Chacko, formerly executive vice-president of suspended Kingfisher Airlines and CEO, Business Travel, SOTC, who has joined hands with Harsha Raghavan, former India head of Fairfax, the Canada-based financial company that has a stake in Bengaluru International Airport Ltd, to launch Just UDO (which translates to just fly) Aviation, the company behind the airline. Raghavan’s investment firm Convergent Finance earmarked Rs 200 crore as the project outlay for the upcoming airline.

The company waxed lyrical over its flying butterfly logo. "A symbol of India's mesmerising beauty and vibrant diversity, our wings embody the promise of opportunity, guiding you through ethereal landscapes and soaring ever closer to your dreams. So spread your wings with FLY91, and let us connect you to the Bharat of boundless opportunity," the company website read.

The airline said it connects every Indian to their dreams, passions, aspirations, adventures and beyond.

Fly91 received the no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in early 2023 and is now working to get an air operator's permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which it hopes to get without delay.

08/06/2023 Moneycontrol

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India's new airline Fly91 reveals first look as it gears up to fly by winter

Fly91, a new airline helmed by top aviation veterans, today revealed its first look with the launch of the brand logo and tagline - Bharat Unbound, taking a step closer to its plan to hit the Indian skies by this winter.

The company also updated its website to a new look that provides information on the company and even has a 'join us' section that invites applications for several roles including pilots, cabin crew, engineering, airport operations, or in the corporate department.

Fly91 said the logo - a flying butterfly - is a symbol of India's mesmerising beauty and vibrant diversity.

"A symbol of India's mesmerising beauty and vibrant diversity, our wings embody the promise of opportunity, guiding you through ethereal landscapes and soaring ever closer to your dreams. So spread your wings with FLY91, and let us connect you to the Bharat of boundless opportunity," it said.

The airline said it connects every Indian to their dreams, passions, aspirations, adventures and beyond.

Fly91 is a regional carrier and it seeks to enhance air connectivity from tier 2 and tier 3 towns across India.

The airline, promoted by Harsha Raghavan, the former head of Fairfax India and Manoj Chacko, former executive vice president of defunct Kingfisher Airlines, aims to start flying in the October-December quarter. The airline will have the new Goa airport built by GMR as its main base, while the coastal state will also house the headquarter of an airline for the first time.

Earlier this year, Fly91 received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and it is now working to get an Air Operator's Permit (AOP) from the DGCA.

Raghavan and Chacko’s company Just Udo Aviation Private Limited is the parent company of the airline and has raised capital of Rs 200 crore, ET had reported earlier.

Fly91 plans to have a fleet of ATR-72 aircraft of 76 seats and will start operations with three planes and will scale up to six aircraft in the first year. It has plans to fly from states to states but is not keen on flying with Airbus or Boeing to save fuel burn and add to profitability strength.

The new airline also plans to fly to under-served and unserved airports where the VAT rates on fuel are lower.

02/06/2023 Gourab Das/Economic Times

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