New Delhi: The first aircraft of the Fly91 Airlines company, led by Manoj Chacko, a native of Thrissur, recently completed its test flying successfully. This is the final stage before acquiring a permit for flying. The airline company has been named ‘91’ after the telephone code of the country. Manoj, who had worked as the executive vice president of Kingfisher Airlines, has years of experience in the aviation industry. The company aims to run services as part of the Udaan project that connects the small towns via air. The authorities are considering starting services in various places including in Kerala, alongside the other tier 2 and tier 3 towns across India. The passenger airline will have a capacity between 72-78 seats per aircraft.
In an earlier interview with us, Manoj said that he toyed with the idea of connecting all parts of India by air for a long time. “I have been thinking about its possibilities for more than 10 years. I had the desire ever since I joined (the now-defunct) Kingfisher Airlines. Kingfisher connected small Indian cities. Flights connecting small cities like Hubballi, Mysuru, Kolhapur, Sholapur, Thoothukudi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, etc., with each other are very few. The lack of connectivity between small cities has caused many difficulties. Bigger aircraft such as A320 and Boeing 737 cannot operate in such cities. Only international airports have the facility to handle such aircraft,” said Manoj.
He also added that several airports in India remain unused since there are no smaller aircraft. According to him, the 76-seat aircraft will be a relief and affordable to flyers. “People normally check two aspects: travel time and affordability. If people realise that these two could be possible by using our service, there will be a demand. But we don't have an alternative. And it's here that Fly91 becomes relevant,” according to Manoj.