New airline based in Kerala gets approval for Centre; likely to start operations later this year

KOCHI: A new airline is coming with Kerala as its headquarters. CNBC has reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted approval to the new airline of Alhind Group. It is said that the airline will commence operations later this year after obtaining an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the DGCA.

The airline will commence operations with three ATR-72 aircraft. The company, which is starting with an investment of 200 to 500 crores in the first phase, plans to expand its services with more aircraft in the next phase, according to a top official of the AlHind Group. The company plans to initially operate services from Kochi to Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai and later expand its operations to other major Indian cities and international destinations. After two years, it will use Airbus A320 aircraft to operate services to foreign cities. With this, the number of aircraft will increase to twenty. The airline will explore options for narrow-body aircraft with a seating capacity of 100 to 240 seats for international operations and will engage in discussions with Boeing and Airbus.

Alhind is a company that has been operating in the travel and tourism industry in India and abroad for over thirty years. The company has a turnover of over Rs 20,000 crores and has more than 130 offices in India and abroad. The Alhind Group is also the General Sales Agent for several airlines.