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Fly91

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Fly91
IATA ICAO Call sign
IC[1] GOA[2] GOAN
Founded9 January 2023; 21 months ago (2023-01-09)[3][4]
Commenced operations18 March 2024; 7 months ago (2024-03-18)[5]
Operating basesManohar International Airport (Goa)
Fleet size2[6]
Destinations7[7]
Parent companyJust Udo Aviation Pvt. Ltd.[8]
HeadquartersAlcon House, Kadamba Plateau Road, Ribandar, North Goa district, Goa, India[9]
Key peopleHarsha Raghavan, Chairman, founder
Manoj Chacko
MD, CEO[10]
Employees200[11]
Websitefly91.in

Just Udo Aviation Private Limited,[8] doing business as Fly91 (stylised as FLY91),[3][12] is an Indian low-cost regional airline headquartered in Ribandar, Goa, India. It operates from its base at Manohar International Airport in Mopa, North Goa district, with a fleet of three ATR-72 aircraft, to tier-2 and 3 cities of India.[13] It was founded in January 2023 by former aviation veterans involved in Kingfisher Airlines, Harsha Raghavan and Manoj Chacko. It began commercial operations from 18 March 2024 to Sindhudurg, Bangalore and Hyderabad from its base at Goa with flights to Lakshadweep, Jalgaon and other regional cities from April 2024 onwards.[10][14][15]

History

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The airline was founded on 9 January 2023 by former aviation veterans, Harsha Raghavan, who was the former head of Fairfax India, and Manoj Chacko, who was the former vice-executive of Mumbai-based WNS Global Services. They were also a part of Kingfisher Airlines that ceased operations in October 2012 due to bankruptcy.[3][4] Before announcing the formation of the airline, on 8 December 2021, Harsha Raghavan, the company's as well as the current founder and chairman of the airline, who also created Convergent Finance LLP in 2018, in collaboration with Manoj Chacko's WNS Global Services, incorporated the companies to form 'Just Udo Aviation Private Limited'. They set up its headquarters at Ribandar near the capital of Goa, Panaji, and its registered office in Mumbai.[8] It made its base at Manohar International Airport at Mopa in North Goa district, to promote and facilitate tourism in the state.[4][10][9] The airline applied to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to launch scheduled domestic services in the same month. The Ministry of Civil Aviation granted the NOC to the airline in April 2023.[16] The airline is headed with an initial ₹200 crore (US$24 million) investment.[17] In June 2023, the airline revealed its logo and livery, based on the scenic and natural environment of Goa, and planned to begin operations by the end of 2023.[citation needed] On 26 July 2023, the airline, along with numerous others, received slots from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to begin flights under the government's UDAN Scheme to regional destinations, like Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nanded, Sindhudurg, Lakshadweep and bigger cities like Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru.[18][13] The airline received its first aircraft, an ATR-72, on 30 January 2024. The second aircraft was delivered on 28 February 2024.[6] The airline began proving flights from its base at Manohar International Airport to Bengaluru with its aircraft on 2 March 2024 to get the Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), which is necessary for an airline to begin commercial operations.[citation needed] It adopted the IATA code "IC", which was the code for Indian Airlines that closed down in 2011.[1][19] On 6 March 2024, the AOC was granted to it by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).[20] On 12 March 2024, after the first inaugural flight service with passengers from Goa to Lakshadweep was operated by the airline, it announced that it will begin regular flights from its base at Manohar International Airport, Goa and Sindhudurg to Bengaluru and Hyderabad from 18 March 2024.[21][14] Hence, it began operations on the routes on 18 March, and added Lakshadweep and Jalgaon to its destinations from 18 April 2024.[22][15]

Corporate affairs

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Fly91, stylised as FLY91, is the brand name for Just Udo Aviation Private Limited.[23][8] The company is headquartered in Ribandar near Panaji in South Goa district, Goa, India, has its registered office in Mumbai and has its operating base at Manohar International Airport in Mopa, North Goa district.[9] Its chairman and founder is Harsha Raghavan and its MD and CEO is Manoj Chacko.[10] The airline has been funded with ₹200 crore (US$24 million) equity to begin operations.[17] As of April 2024, the airline has 200 employees, and will recruit 25 employees for every aircraft upon deliveries, thereby taking the overall number to 350 employees by the end of 2024. It currently has two leased ATR-72 aircraft, and will have a total of six aircraft by the end of 2024.[24][2][11]

Logo and livery

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ATR-72 Belonging to FLY91

The airline's logo and livery feature pastel blue and yellow colours, which are inspired by the scenic, peaceful and serene environment of the Arabian Sea, the beaches of Goa and the Western Ghats. Its tagline Bharat Unbound is shown on the rear side of the fuselage, giving a description of the airline's focus on connectivity, tourism and punctuality. The livery also features a black cockpit mask surrounding the windows of the cockpit's exterior, which airlines like Air Canada use to enhance the look of their aircraft. On the tail, the airline's name is featured in white captions in a pastel blue surface. The name "Fly91" comes from India's country dialling code "+91".[25]

Destinations

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The airline began operations from 18 March 2024 from its base at Manohar International Airport in Mopa, Goa. As of May 2024, it operates to the following destinations:[26][7]

State City Airport Notes Ref
Goa Mopa Manohar International Airport Hub [14]
Karnataka Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport
Lakshadweep Agatti Agatti Airport [22]
Maharashtra Jalgaon Jalgaon Airport [15]
Pune Pune Airport [27]
Sindhudurg Sindhudurg Airport [15]
Telangana Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Network development

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On 12 March 2024, after the airline announced it would begin operations from 18 March 2024, the MD and CEO of the airline, Manoj Chacko, announced that in the first four months, the airline would start flights from Sindhudurg to Hyderabad and Bengaluru from 18 March 2024, followed by flights to Agatti and Jalgaon from April 2024. Then, by 2025, it will fly to at least 12 cities, and in the next five years, the airline plans to fly to at least 50 cities from six bases, as part of its focus on connectivity and facilitating the next 100 million air passengers in India.[21][28][18]

Fleet

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Current fleet

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As of April 2024, the airline consists of the following aircraft:[2]

Fly91 Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 72-600 2 4 72 [6]
Total 2 4

Fleet development

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On 12 March 2024, after the airline announced it would begin operations from 18 March 2024, the MD and CEO of the airline, Manoj Chacko, announced that it will have a fleet of six aircraft by the next four months. The current fleet has a capacity to handle 70-72 passengers at one time, but it could be extended to 76 in the near future. Then, in the next five years, the airline will add 6-7 aircraft per year, and will have a total of 30-35 aircraft.[29]

Services

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The airline, after beginning operations, covers destinations in its network ranging from a travel time of 1-1.5 hours. It offers buy-on-board service for snacks and beverages, with seat selection charges to be applicable between five and six rows out of 18 rows. It also offers more facilities to enhance passenger experience upon its expansion as a last-mile carrier for regional connectivity, similar to other ATR-72 operators, like IndiGo and Alliance Air. It provides privileges for physically challenged passengers, like wheelchairs, emergency and medical facilities and allows pets to be carried on board.[30][31][32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Joshi, Ameya (2 March 2024). "Proving flights: What Fly91 and other new airlines must do to get a flying permit". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 March 2024. The airline has chosen "IC" as its code, which like its planes have a history in India. IC was the IATA code for Indian Airlines which operated from 1953 until 2011 when it was merged with Air India.
  2. ^ a b c "Fly91". ch-aviation. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Convergent Finance LLP and Manoj Chacko to co-found pure-play regional airline branded Fly91". ANI News. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024. Convergent Finance LLP ("Convergent"), in collaboration with Manoj Chacko leading an experienced team, announces the formation of 'Fly91', a pure-play domestic regional airline.
  4. ^ a b c Kelkar, Nachiket (9 January 2023). "Fly91, new airline promoted by former Kingfisher Airlines exec, plans to take off by Dec 2023". The Week. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  5. ^ "New airline enters Indian aviation sector: FLY91 begins commercial operations from Goa". The Indian Express. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "India's Fly91 accepts first ATR72-600 ahead of start". ch.aviation. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Flight Schedule" (PDF). Fly91. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "OVERVIEW - JUST UDO AVIATION PRIVATE LIMITED". Tofler. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Contact us". Fly91. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d "Leadership team". Fly91. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "FLY91 to launch on Monday with Goa-Bengaluru flight". The Hindu BusinessLine. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024. We have 200 employees and will recruit 25 employees for every additional aircraft," Chacko said.
  12. ^ "Fly91 Airline Profile". CAPA. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  13. ^ a b Saha, Poulomi (26 April 2023). "We want to be a last mile carrier: Fly91 CEO Manoj Chacko after aviation ministry's nod – Exclusive". India Today. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Fly91 announces commencement of flight operations from March 18". The Hindu. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d "FLY91 Launches Inaugural Flights from Goa to Agatti and Jalgaon". Travel Biz Monitor. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Fly91 gets Ministry of Civil Aviation's no objection certificate to start flights". Zee Business. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  17. ^ a b "New regional airline 'Fly91' to take wings with initial investment of INR 200cr". Travel Biz Monitor. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Newest airline FLY91 gets routes under UDAN scheme". The Economic Times. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Fly91: Malayali's airline company to start service soon". Onmanorama. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  20. ^ Mujawar, Madeeha; Anand, Daanish (6 March 2024). "Fly91 gets AOC, gears up to start commercial operations". CNBC TV18. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  21. ^ a b Upadhyay, Deepak (21 January 2023). "Goa-based FLY91 takes off for Lakshadweep on inaugural flight, commercial services to start from THIS date". Mint. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Goa gets direct connection to Lakshadweep's Agatti". The Times of India. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  23. ^ "FLY91 – Bharat Unbound". Fly91. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  24. ^ "FLY91 set to transform regional air travel, expects to have 350 staff in first year of operations". The Financial Express. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  25. ^ Aashu (10 August 2023). "Indian startup airline Fly91 reveals its livery". Times of Aviation. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Regional airline FLY91 to start commercial flights from March 18 – Details inside". The Financial Express. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Regional airline FLY91 adds Pune as its seventh destination". The Hindu. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  28. ^ "FLY91 to start flights to Lakshadweep from April". The Indian Express. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Goa-based regional airline FLY91 to start commercial services from March 18". Moneycontrol. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024. At a briefing at the Mopa airport, FLY91 MD and CEO Manoj Chacko said the airline will have a total of six ATR 72-600 planes in six months. He added that FLY91 currently has two 70-seater ATRs, with the fleet set to expand to six planes within four months. "Our plan is to induct 6-7 ATRs annually. Mopa will serve as our initial base, with Fly 91 aiming to establish six bases, operate 35 planes, and connect 50 city pairs over the next five years," Chacko said.
  30. ^ Sinha, Saurabh (12 March 2024). "Agatti ahoy: Manoj Chacko's regional carrier, Fly 91 takes off today". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 March 2024. The average flight duration for Fly 91 routes will range from 55 to 90 minutes. "We will offer buy-on-board service for snacks and beverages, with seat selection charges applicable to five to six rows out of the 18," he added. IndiGo operates ATRs, and following Air India's divestment, Alliance Air remains the only state-owned fixed-wing airline. "I aim to provide last-mile connectivity rather than compete with anyone, but to coexist," Chacko asserted.
  31. ^ "Forms and Downloads". Fly91. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Travel with Pet". Fly91. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
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