NEW DELHI, Jan 3: FlyBig, the country’s newest airline which launched its maiden Delhi-Shillong air service recently, will now operate twice-a-week flights from this month.
The airline’s decision, which was announced by its chief executive officer, Srinivas Rao on Sunday, is bound to further improve connectivity, promote tourism and bring ease of travel.
The airline, which had got its permit from regulator, DGCA (directorate general of civil aviation) on December 14, partly began operations on December 21, when it operated a chartered flight with the aircraft taken on wet lease from SpiceJet.
The airline flew from Delhi to Shillong, to coincide with the Meghalaya government’s move to reopen the state for tourism on the same day, as the domestic travel scene gradually improved along with the pandemic situation. “From this month itself the company will operate two-weekly flights on the route. Eventually, the company plans to deploy its own aircraft on the route,” the executive said.
The airline began its operations from its Indore base on Sunday from where the inaugural flight to Ahmedabad took off. In the initial couple of weeks, the airline founded by Sanjay Mandavia — a pilot-turned-aviation entrepreneur — will operate thrice a week.
By the end of March this year, the airline will have daily flights connecting all the three tier-2 cities.
The launch of the new airline comes at a time when domestic air traffic continues to improve, having got a push during the festive season and year-end travel.
While the government had hiked the cap, enabling airlines to now use 80 percent of their capacity, there is optimism that this would be eased further.
