Religare Air Mantra to start state ops

Religare Group's scheduled regional airline Air Mantra today said it will start passenger services from July 23, beginning with daily flights between Amritsar and Chandigarh in the northern sector.

Part of Religare Voyages Ltd, which currently runs chartered services, Air Mantra plans to further expand its network to connect various smaller cities, including Jammu and Dharamshala very shortly.

"Better service and connectivity is our primary objective. Every possible detail has been taken into consideration to ensure that our esteemed passengers have a wonderful experience with safe and comfortable flight," Religare group CEO and MD Sanjay Godhwani said in a statement.

Mantra currently has two exclusive 17-seater Beechcraft 1900D aircrafts, which have been personalised to make every seat window-cum-aisle seat.

"India, a country with 28 diverse states, hundreds of cities and more than a billion people, has limited airlines serving smaller cities. Mantra aims to put those untapped cities on a map, boost air travel and connectivity by inter-connecting cities out of the radar of most airlines," the company said.

"With further expansion on the cards the plan foresees Jammu and Dharamshala entering its fold shortly," it added.

Religare Voyages was set up about five years ago with the launch of air charter services and it has a fleet of 12 aircraft, ranging from the 5-seater turboprops to 17 seater corporate luxury jets.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/religare-air-mantra-to-start-state-ops/975170/