DGCA grants Air Operator Certificate to Fly91

11 Mar 2024 CW Team

India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA), has granted Fly 91 Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), according to reports.

The tagline 'Bharat Unbound' defines Fly91, an airline led by esteemed aviation veterans. Harsha Raghavan, the former head of Fairfax India, and Manoj Chacko, former executive vice president of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, are behind the airline. The primary base for Fly91 will be the newly constructed Goa airport by GMR. This marks the first time that the coastal state will host the headquarters of an airline.

Originally, the airline aimed to commence flights in the October-December quarter of the previous year.

Harsha Raghavan, the former head of Fairfax India, and Manoj Chacko, former executive vice president of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, are behind the airline.

We aspire to be an airline providing last-mile connectivity and linking remote locations lacking infrastructure for Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft. From Goa, multiple destinations in Maharashtra and Karnataka, such as Hubbali, Shirdi, Nashik, Belgaum, fall within the range of an ATR aircraft, stated Chacko last year.

Chacko mentioned that Fly91, instead of competing directly with mainline carriers, intends to establish codeshare and interline agreements with them. We will offer an open API for our system. Any airline globally that doesn't operate to a remote airport will be able to collaborate with us to provide last-mile connectivity to their customers on a single ticket, Chacko mentioned, noting that, except for IndiGo and SpiceJet, no Indian airlines possess a fleet of smaller turboprop aircraft and could be potential partners.

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