Indian startup airline FLY91 has unveiled its brand identity. This is the second airline startup in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets in less than a couple of years. Let’s take a look.
Bharat Unbound
“Bharat Unbound” is the tagline of FLY91, India’s newest airline. FLY91’s logo is a flying butterfly, a symbol of India’s mesmerising beauty and vibrant diversity. The airline’s website says:
A symbol of India’s mesmerising beauty and vibrant diversity, our wings embody the promise of opportunity, guiding you through ethereal landscapes and soaring ever closer to your dreams. So spread your wings with FLY91, and let us connect you to the Bharat of boundless opportunity.
The airline has also updated its website with a new look. It provides more information about the airline and has a “Join Us” section too inviting applications for various roles such as pilots, cabin crew, engineering, airport operations, or in the corporate department.
Plans of the airline
FLY91 will be a regional carrier which wants to enhance air connectivity to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities across India. The airline has plans to base itself at Goa, a first for the city/state. The airline will call New Manohar International Airport as its home.
FLY91 says that it will be pure regional airline, signalling that it will not fly from metros to metros. It will be a “digitally-driven airline, harnessing the latest technology to enhance customer experience and revolutionise the way people travel”.
On its website, the airline states that:
Our mission is to seamlessly connect various regions of India with the most reliable and trusted network thus making travel more accessible and convenient than ever before.
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The airline will have a fleet of six 70-seater ATR72-600 aircraft in its first year of operations and it aims to start operations in the October-December quarter of this year. FLY91 will cater to the short-haul segment (45-90 minute flight duration) and connect underserved places where bigger aircraft cannot land or demand is not viable enough for larger aircraft. The airline says that Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka are the states which the airline is interested in serving.
Earlier this year, the airline received No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India and it says that it will soon apply for an Air Operators Certificate which will enable it to launch operations.
FLY91 is promoted by Harsha Raghavan, the former head of Fairfax India and Manoj Chacko, former executive vice president of the defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Just Udo Aviation Private Limited, FLY91’s parent company, has raised a capital of INR 200 crore for launching operations.
Will it survive?
I don’t want to get all negative but regional airlines in India have not had the same luck as the bigger ones have had. TruJet, Paramount Airways and Air Costa are some of the examples which have gone down in the past. TruJet was the longest surviving regional airline in India but the COVID-19 pandemic did no good to the airline and after months of not getting fresh capital, it went down.
The Indian Aviation Industry is a bloodbath for airlines. Profits are one of the thinnest and fuel costs are one of the highest, with the rising U.S. dollar not helping the airlines.
The regional market in India is a growing one and FLY91 says that it will serve airports where operating costs including VAT are lower. It seems that this airline is having a proper roadmap of operations and keeping its vision clear from day 1.
It’s certainly good to see a promising new regional airline come up and I hope this signals the start of a new era in the Regional Aviation market of India.
Featured image by FLY91
All the other images by FLY91
What do you think of FLY91 and its brand identity? Let me know in the comments section below.
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