Goa-based regional carrier airline Fly91 revealed on Wednesday that it has received its flying permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), paving the way for it to launch commercial operations on designated routes.
Obtaining a flying permit, or Air Operator Certificate (AOC), is one of the multiple regulatory requirements and the final step for a company venturing into the business of flying.
As part of the AOC process, Fly91 successfully conducted "proving flights" under the DGCA's supervision, the airline said in a statement.
With this, the airline had completed all regulatory and compliance requirements for the brand to begin its commercial operations, Fly91 said in a statement.
Co-founded by erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines senior executive Manoj Chacko, the venture 'Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd' secured the Civil Aviation Ministry's nod in April last year to start the airline under the brand name Fly91.
It plans to connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities as part of its business strategy.
"This is a significant milestone for each and every member of Fly91," said Chacko, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fly91.
"We now look forward to commencing the sale of tickets, leading to the start of commercial operations soon," he added.
The startup carrier has already been allocated its first set of routes under the 5.0 phase of the government's Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), UDAN. As part of this, the carrier with the IC code has been mandated to fly to and from Sindhudurg, Jalgaon and Nanded in Maharashtra, and Agatti in Lakshadweep, along with other business and leisure destinations such as Bengaluru, Goa, Hyderabad and Pune, it said.
It will be the first regional carrier to have been based out of the new Manohar Parrikar International Airport at Mopa in Goa, Fly91 said.
The airline said it received its first ATR 72-600, one of the two aircraft leased from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, last week, which flew in from Hyderabad to be part of the regional airline’s fleet. In the long-term, the airline plans to connect over 50 Indian cities in the next five years and induct a total of 30 aircraft.
(Edited by : Keshav Singh Chundawat)
First Published: Mar 6, 2024 6:58 PM IST
