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Release date: Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 6:00 AM
An Indian business group based in the UAE will set up an airline that will offer cheap air tickets to residents. Al Hind Group, which has been in the travel industry for over three decades, has received the necessary approvals to set up a domestic airline in India.
The group’s chairman, Mohammed Harris, told Khaleej Times that they are in the final stages of getting approval. “We met with officials from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) last week and have submitted all the necessary documents for permission to land at the airport,” Harris said. “We have already received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to set up the airline. We hope to start operations by January 2025 at the earliest.”
Al Hind Airlines will begin operations with three ATR-72 turboprop aircraft. Initially, it will only serve Indian cities, but the airline plans to expand rapidly. “We will start with three flights initially, but as soon as we have 20 flights we will begin international flights as well, with the first destination being the UAE,” a company spokesperson said.
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“We have been based in the region for several years and some of our most loyal customers are from the UAE. To serve expats in the region, we aim to keep our ticket prices among the lowest in the market. Our international operations will be focused on the Middle East region.”
He did not give a firm deadline for when the airline would begin international flights, but said the company wanted to begin international operations as soon as possible. “Previously, Akash Airlines in India started international flights just 17 months after it began domestic operations,” he said. “We are hoping to begin operations on a similar or even sooner schedule.”
He said Al Hind management has been in discussions with key figures, including India’s civil aviation minister and directorate general of civil aviation, who have both offered their full support for the project.
Headquartered in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Al Hind Group operates in a variety of sectors including ticket sales, tour operations, charters, hotel reservations and visa services. As per company records, the group has a turnover of over AED 8 billion. Operating under the umbrella of Al Hind Business Centre in the UAE, the group has been operating in the country for over 19 years.
“We are the sole distributor and already book passengers for various Indian airlines including SpiceJet,” the official said. “So, setting up an airline is a very natural progression for us. This planning and work has been going on for several years now.”
The source also confirmed that the group will operate Airbus A320s equipped with a business class on its Middle East routes and that the company plans to employ only a skeleton crew to keep costs down.
“We already have two offices in Kerala and New Delhi,” he said. “We employ only the manpower required to run our operations smoothly. We want to keep our overhead costs low so that we can provide the most economical airfares to our customers. Once we start our international operations, we plan to set up an office in the UAE.”
Earlier, two Dubai-based businessmen spoke to Khaleej Times about setting up low-cost carrier Air Kerala, which will be the Indian state’s first regional airline. Named Zfly Aviation, the airline has received an NOC to operate scheduled commuter air transport services for a period of three years. Once the necessary arrangements are made, the airline will first launch domestic flights in India’s southernmost state before expanding internationally, making Dubai one of its first international destinations.
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