Small airlines to mushroom

Regional airlines are all set to drive the growth of the Indian civil aviation sector as large carriers struggle to sustain themselves. Several aircraft makers are vying to woo the new entrants to the commercial aviation.

"Most regional airlines were running short haul charter flights. However, with airports popping up in small cities, regional airlines are planning to foray into commercial aviation space," said Mr Saurabh Shah, the head of commercial operations for Bengaluru-based airport developer Regional Airport Holdings Intern-ational (RAHI) Ltd.

The companies, who are planning to launch commercial flights or quasi- commerical flights incl-ude Bengaluru-based Dec-can, New Delhi-based Religare Voyages and Hyderabad-based Turbo Aviation.
According to an official of Religare Voyages, the company has got permission to operate a regional commercial airline Mantra, which would initially operate in north India. The operational date of the airline is yet to be decided.

Speaking to this newspaper, an official of Deccan said that the company has long-term plans to start a commercial airline. But in the short term, they may run unscheduled flights to small towns.

The advent of small and short-haul aircraft, which can land on shorter runways, and the development of airports in smaller cities are expected to spur the development of regional aviation.

Under the 12th Five-Year Plan, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to develop and operationalise the existing 25 small non-operations airports in the country.

Hyderabad-based regional airline Turbo, which bought a 19-seater aircraft from Czech Republic's LET Aircraft Industries, announced its plans to start its service to tier-2 cities in Andhra Pradesh. The service is expected to start in the next four months.

"Initially, the company would fly to Kadapa, Tirupati, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada from Hyderabad. It also plans Vijayawada-Vizag and Kadapa-Bengaluru routes. A ticket in the 19-seater aircraft to Tirupati could cost `2,000," said Mr V. Umesh, the managing director of Turbo Aviation.

Mr Miroslav Kozisek, commercial director of LET Aircraft Industries, says that their aircraft are made for the rugged Indian conditions. "These aircraft don't require an airstrip. They can land even on unpaved surfaces. The 19-seater commuter aircraft with the high wing design and and low maintenance is ideal for the Indian market."

Indian aircraft maker Mahindra Aerospace has entered into a deal to sell an unspecified number of eight-seater aircraft to a company, which plans to operate regional commerical operations.

Ventura Airconnect, a six-month-old company with focus on short-haul flights, operates 19 flights a day on its 19-seater Cessna B208s, with a hitherto unconnected Bhopal-Indore route. The fare starts from `1,500. The company expects to ferry 68,000 passengers and break even in a year.

"There is a tremendous growth potential in Madhya Pradesh, where road conditions are bad. We hope that the government create new airstrips and repair existing ones," Mr Arun Tiwari, head of sales and marketing, Ventura Airconnect.

It has recently expanded into Maharashtra and is currently in talks with the AP government.
"India remains an untapped market with a huge potential. There is scope for a pan-India presence" said Mr Nigel Har-wood of ESTD, which represents Czech airplane maker LET in India.

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