NEW DELHI: Captain GR Gopinath, the man who gave us air
travel on a platter, will return to the aviation business for a third time by
launching a regional airline in Gujarat on Monday. The airline, Deccan Shuttle, will start 12 flights a day
between nine cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Kandla
with five 12-seater Grand Caravans. All these cities are connected to Mumbai by
air, but have no services between them, he told ETon Saturday. Gopinath's
latest venture coincides with a series of launches of small and regional
airlines in India. Air Mantra, a unit of financial services conglomerate
Religare Group, has started daily flights connecting Amritsar and Chandigarh in
July. Air Pegasus, promoted by Shyson Thomas of Decor Aviation, an airport
ground-handling agency, is looking to become south India's first regional
airline in October.
RAHI Aviation Inspired Realities (RAir), an offshoot of RAHI Aviation Holdings, a Bangalore-based aviation infrastructure and allied air services company, aims to begin services early next year. Spirit Air, which, provides service to Jamshedpur and Ranchi from Kolkata, plans to reach out to tourist destinations such as Gaya and Kushnagar later this year.
Waiting in the wings are Karina Airlines, Volk Air, Air Freedom and Akashganga Airlines, among others. Non-resident Indians in the Gulf are about to resurrect plans to launch a carrier called Air Kerala that will connect the state to the Middle-East.
As anyone trying to fly between the smaller cities in India would say, it's not easy to get from here to there and back. Even states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which are key tourist destinations, have negligible air services to their many scenic and religious attractions, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a leading consultancy. The launch of these airlines could answer the connectivity problems.
It also means that Indian aviation is again having a moment after about four years of skulking in the corners of a slowdown. Yet, the action comes at a time few were expected to touch the sector with a barge pole. India's biggest airline by market share, Jet Airways, and low-fare rival SpiceJet posted profits in the June quarter, but these are still early days to suggest that aviation has emerged from the shadow of troubles sown by soaring fuel prices and a weakening rupee. Even for a sector that has always been inherently risky, the last two years have stood out as an absolute nightmare, with Indian carriers losing a combined $2 billion. Kingfisher Airlines, which once embodied aviation's glitz and glamour, is gasping for breath and fighting for survival.
RAHI Aviation Inspired Realities (RAir), an offshoot of RAHI Aviation Holdings, a Bangalore-based aviation infrastructure and allied air services company, aims to begin services early next year. Spirit Air, which, provides service to Jamshedpur and Ranchi from Kolkata, plans to reach out to tourist destinations such as Gaya and Kushnagar later this year.
Waiting in the wings are Karina Airlines, Volk Air, Air Freedom and Akashganga Airlines, among others. Non-resident Indians in the Gulf are about to resurrect plans to launch a carrier called Air Kerala that will connect the state to the Middle-East.
As anyone trying to fly between the smaller cities in India would say, it's not easy to get from here to there and back. Even states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which are key tourist destinations, have negligible air services to their many scenic and religious attractions, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a leading consultancy. The launch of these airlines could answer the connectivity problems.
It also means that Indian aviation is again having a moment after about four years of skulking in the corners of a slowdown. Yet, the action comes at a time few were expected to touch the sector with a barge pole. India's biggest airline by market share, Jet Airways, and low-fare rival SpiceJet posted profits in the June quarter, but these are still early days to suggest that aviation has emerged from the shadow of troubles sown by soaring fuel prices and a weakening rupee. Even for a sector that has always been inherently risky, the last two years have stood out as an absolute nightmare, with Indian carriers losing a combined $2 billion. Kingfisher Airlines, which once embodied aviation's glitz and glamour, is gasping for breath and fighting for survival.
No comments:
Post a Comment