Goa-born airline FLY91’s first turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft landed at the Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa, to a ceremonial water-cannon salute on Wednesday. The ATR 72-600, one of the two aircraft leased from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise – a global aviation services company – flew in from Hyderabad to be part of the regional airline’s fleet, which will be based out of Mopa’s MIA. Soon-to-be-operational, FLY 91, is the first Indian airline to use the greenfield airport in North Goa as its home base and operate flights to Agatti, Benagluru, Hyderabad, Jalgaon, Nanded and Sindhudurg in the first phase; states a press release.
“India’s aviation sector is expanding at an unprecedented rate and FLY91 is proud to be part of this growth story. We are firmly committed to the country’s development by facilitating last-mile air connectivity, serving unserved and under-served routes. As we prepare for our launch, our focus is to provide safe, reliable and comfortable flights to our customers. We are thrilled with the homecoming of our first aircraft at Goa’s MIA. It’s a moment of joy and pride for the entire team at FLY91 who made this possible and believed in giving Bharat more wings to fly,” said founder and chief executive officer of FLY91, Manoj Chacko.
“Just as the country code ‘+91’ unifies India, FLY91 aims to unite Indians through accessible air travel and enhancing last-mile connectivity,” Chacko also said.
A regional airline, FLY91 aims to be a catalyst for connectivity across India’s tier 2 and tier 3 towns and will coexist with other carriers within India’s aviation landscape.
The airline has already been allocated its first set of routes under the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN. The routes allotted under UDAN 5.0 will see FLY91 connect the cities of Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Nanded in Maharashtra and Agatti in Lakshadweep, along with other business and leisure destinations, namely Bengaluru, Goa, Hyderabad and Pune.
About FLY91:
FLY91 is a regional carrier that aims to enhance air connectivity across Indian tier 2 and tier 3 towns. Founded by industry veterans and backed by professional funding, FLY91 aspires to make air travel accessible to every Indian with a focus on regional towns in India. This vision is reflected in the selection of its ATR 72-600 fleet, which is a smart choice for efficient and sustainable operations from most regional airports in the country. FLY91 will operate out of Goa from its home base at Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa.
