summary
- FLY91 focuses on India’s regional connectivity.
- Flight approval and certification is required for FLY91 to receive an Air Operator Certificate (AOP).
- FLY91 faces stiff competition in the Indian aviation industry post-UDAN and requires strong financial provision.
FLY91, an Indian airline whose country code is 91, prioritizes connections between regions within India, operated its first flight on March 2, 2024. The airline flew from Goa’s Manohar International Airport and landed in Bengaluru, Karnataka. .
Airline Startup of the Week: India’s FLY91 reveals first look
The regional airline is expected to begin operations towards the end of this year.
A brief introduction to the history of FLY91
economic times (ET) published a report alleging that Manoj Chacko, former executive vice president of Kingfisher Airlines, partnered with the airline’s co-founder Harsha Raghavan to promote FLY91. Chacko is eyeing potential locations for business expansion in Maharastra, such as Latur, Sindurg, Nanded and Solapur, and hence FLY91’s operations in these tier 2 and 3 towns are suitable. Dew.
Photo: Denver International Airport
The airline code for FLY91 is “IC”. This is the same as Indian Airlines, the erstwhile national carrier, which operated from 1953 to 2011. FLY91 began preparations for flight operations in January, during the delivery of two ATR-72 aircraft. Unlike other emerging airlines, FLY91 appears to be continuing its low-key approach, whether it’s with livery announcements or brand promotion.
The last major Indian airline to begin operations was Akasa Airlines, which received NOC a year before operations and began regular flights in summer 2022.
Some work still needs to be done before FLY91 goes into full operation
Airlines that want to start operating passenger flights must operate acceptance flights.
FLY91 acceptance flight
it was The Hindustan Times reported During the acceptance flight, FLY91 flew in the direction of the number 91 over the suburbs of Hyderabad. The acceptance flight is completed and the way is cleared for the customer acceptance flight. In addition to verifying various factors such as satisfactory performance of the engine and fuel gauge, pilots ensure that climb performance, flaps, and slats comply with aviation standards. In some cases, airline personnel may also be on board the aircraft for acceptance flights.
Regulators will also conduct major base inspections (MBIs) to ensure flight readiness. Once the aircraft meets all requirements, it will move on to demonstration flights.
test flight
According to the regulations of India’s aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), new airlines (including FLY91) must conduct five test flights before obtaining an Air Operator Certificate (AOP). . Such flights must be at least 10 hours long and conducted on the intended route. However, in special circumstances, DGCA may approve his AOP without flight test.
Typically, AOPs are distributed within one week of successful test flight completion. Following this, the airline requests slot availability at the airport it serves and allows the flight to be scheduled.
Fierce competition awaits FLY91’s future path.
India launched a program in 2018 that plans to make air travel available to all Indians. After the introduction of this Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) called UDAN (in addition to being an acronym, it also means ‘to the skies’ in Hindi), regional connectivity in India has boomed. With the popularity of his LCCs like Akasa and his IndiGo soaring, it will be interesting to see how far FLY91 will flourish in the Indian aviation industry.
Photo: B. Folenius | Shutterstock
Following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, some regional airlines in India, including Air Deccan and TruJet, suspended operations. Historically, a large-scale infectious disease like the new coronavirus has only struck the world once every 100 years, but in cases like this, even a (new) airline like FLY91 has a solid case. Financial preparation is required.
