Domestic scheduled operators carried a total of 22.79 million passengers and 293 084 (803 per day) flights in 2005 as against 17.59 million passengers carried in 2004. 22.94 million passengers flew on domestic flights during the first three quarters of 2006. The number of non-scheduled operators amounted to 44 at the end of 2005. Consolidation in the Indian airline sector has begun with the merger of Air-India and Indian. Jet Airways has acquired Air Sahara and Kingfisher Airlines has become a major stakeholder of Air Deccan with a 26 per cent stake. SpiceJet and Indigo are the major low-cost operators.
2006 Domestic Air TravellersMonth Nos. (millions)
July 2.47
August 2.54
September 2.61
October 2.82
Scheduled Operators
Air-India
Air-India's fleet of 35 aircraft includes nine Boeing 747-400's, two Boeing 747-337B Combis, three Boeing 777-222ER, one Boeing 777-222, 18 Airbus A310-300 and a wet-leased Boeing 767 aircraft flying to destinations in four continents ranging from Tokyo in the east to Los Angeles in the west. Air-India earned a total revenue of Rs 87.5¹ bn and carried 4.86¹ million passengers in the year ending March 2006 and 105 000 tons of freight during the year ending March 2005. Air-India has firmed orders for 8 Boeing 777-200LR, 15 Boeing 777-300ER and 27 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to cater to its fleet expansion plans in the coming years. The first new Boeing 777 will be delivered in November. Air-India and Indian are to be merged this year. Air-India is gradually phasing-out some of its A310 aircraft and converting them into freighter aircraft.
Above pic: An Air-India Airbus A310-300 at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok international airport.
Air-India Express
Air-India's low cost airline subsidiary, Air-India Express, with a fleet of 14 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, flies to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Muscat, Salalah, Sharjah, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The airline carried 750,000 passengers in 2006-07.
Above pic: An Air India Express Boeing 737-800 at Chennai Airport.
Indian (Indian Airlines)
Indian, one of India's three largest air carriers, operates three widebodied Airbus A300, 48 Airbus A320, 1 Airbus A321 (new Air India livery), six Airbus A319-112 and two Dornier 228 aircraft. Indian carried 7.13 million passengers with an overall load factor of 69.1 % in 2004-05 and total revenues amounted to Rs 60.5 bn in 2005-06. The airline is planning a debut in the stock market with an IPO slated for later this year. Indian has placed a firm order for 43 narrow-body Airbus aircraft, including 19 A319's, 4 A320's and 20 A321's, all powered with CFM-56-5B engines. The first of these aircraft has been delivered and the last six aircraft are scheduled to be inducted in Indian's fleet in 2010. These aircraft will be powered by CFM56-5 engines. Indian operates some 325 daily flights and carried approx. 1.7 million passengers on its international routes.
Left pic: An Indian Airlines Dornier Do228 at Cochin Airport. This aircraft flies from Cochin to Agatti 6xweekly.
Alliance Air
Airline Allied Services Ltd. was formed in 1983 as an Indian Airlines subsidiary. Alliance Air (brand name) flight operations began in 1996 and its current fleet includes 8 Boeing 737-200 and four ATR-42-320 aircraft. Alliance Air carried 1.47 million passengers in 2004-05 with load and seat factors of 64 and 61.5 % respectively. Operating revenues amounted to Rs 6.2 bn in the same year. Five of the aged Boeing 737-200 jets will be converted into freighters. Alliance has been planned to become Indian's low cost carrier with a fleet of six CRJ's and an equal number of ATR turboprops.
Above pic: An Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 parked at Delhi Airport.
Jet Airways
Jet Airways' 66 aircraft fleet includes two Boeing 777-35R, three widebodied Airbus A340-300E, four Airbus A330-203, 48 Boeing 737 jets (400-, 700-, 800- and 900-series) and eight ATR-72-212A/500's to 48 destinations in India and overseas. The airline carried approx. 9 million passengers in 2005. Jet has ordered 10 Airbus A330-200, 10 Boeing 737 NGs and 10 Boeing 777-300ER widebodies. Deliveries will start in Q1/07. Jet Airways revenues amounted to Rs 61.4 bn (06/07) and 10.0 million revenue passengers were carried in 2006. Jet has ordered 10 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner long-range jets with deliveries scheduled to begin on 2011. Jet Airways has acquired Air Sahara which will be renamed as Jet Lite.
Left pic: A Jet Airways B737 at Mumbai's Sahar Airport Terminal IB, used by private airlines.
Air Deccan
Deccan Air, a low-cost carrier launched in 2003, is currently the third largest airline in India operating 24 ATR-42-320/500 / ATR-72-212A series turbo-props and 20 Airbus A320 aircraft. Air Deccan, with a turnover of Rs 6.4 bn for Q2/06 (Oct-Dec), carried approx. 5.9 million passengers in 2006. The airline serves 64 Indian airports, with over 350 daily flights. Air Deccan placed an order for 30 new 72-seater ATR 72-500 aircraft in 2006 in addition to an order for 32 Airbus A320 jets placed in the same year enhanced by an order for 30 additional A320 aircraft with delivery to begin in 2008.
Above pic: An Air Deccan ATR-42 at Bangalore Airport.
Left pic: A cabin view of an Air Deccan Airbus A320. Air Deccan aircraft are all-economy and snacks and beverages are sold for a nominal price. The airline has a policy of free seating.
Left pic: An Air Deccan Airbus A320. Air Deccan currently operates 18 A320s configured with 180 seats on high density routes to some 15 destinations across India. Deccan Air flew over three million passengers during 2005-06.
Air Sahara
Air Sahara, part of the Sahara India Pariwar Group, operates 17 Boeing 737 (300-, 400-, 700- and 800-series) jets, six Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, three Ecureuil and one Dauphin helicopter. The airline started operations in 1993 and carried 2.95 million passengers in the year ending March 2006. Air Sahara flies to 24 destinations in India and operates international flights to Colombo, Kathmandu and Singapore. Air Sahara offers some 140 daily flights. Air Sahara carried 2.8 million passengers in 2006. Jet Airways, which recently acquired Air Sahara, plans to reposition Jet Lite, the new name of the airline, as a low cost carrier.
Left pic: An Air Sahara Boeing 737 at Bangalore's Hindustan Airport.
Left pic: An Air Sahara Boeing 737 featuring the old livery at Mumbai Sahar Airport.
Kingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines, promoted by the United Breweries Group, operates a fleet of 12 Airbus A320-232, three Airbus A319-132, one Airbus A319-133X(CJ), six Airbus A321-231 and 9 ATR-72-500 turboprops, flying to Agartala, Agatti (Lakshadweep), Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Goa, Guwahati, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Puttaparthi, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli, Tirupati, Udaipur, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam. Kingfisher Airlines has announced an order for 30 Airbus A319/A320 series aircraft in addition to the earlier announced order comprising five Airbus A330-300, five Airbus A350-800 and five Airbus A380 long-range aircraft. Kingfisher has also placed an order for 35 ATR-72-500 turboprops with an option for a further 20 aircraft. Delivery of the ATR-72 aircraft has commenced. Kingfisher carried 2.8 million passengers in 2006.
SpiceJet
SpiceJet flies to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Goa, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Jammu, Srinagar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Varanasi and Jaipur. The airline carried over 1.6 million passengers in its first full year of operation and currently offers over 80 daily flights. SpiceJet's current fleet comprises of 12 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. SpiceJet has ordered five Boeing 737-800 and five Boeing 737-900ER aircraft.
Left pic: SpiceJet's VT-SPF "Coriander" Boeing 737-800 at Delhi IGIA.
Paramount Airways
Paramount, a regional airline, is headquarted in Chennai and currently provides 50 daily services to eight South Indian cities. Paramount's fleet includes two Brazilian 70-seater Embraer 170 and three slighter larger Embraer 175 jet aircraft. The airline serves Coimbatore, Kochi, Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Vizag.
Above pic: A Paramount Airways Embraer 170 jet taxiing at Chennai airport.
Go Air
Go Air, promoted by the Wadia Group operates flights to Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Kochi, Pune, Delhi, Srinagar and Jammu. Go Air's fleet consists of four Airbus A320-200 aircraft. The airline has signed a purchase agreement for 10 Airbus A320's with an option for a further 10 A320's. Go carried around one million passengers during its first year of operation ending Nov 2006.
IndiGo
This low-cost carrier has a fleet of 10 Airbus A320-232 aircraft. IndiGo serves the following cities: Delhi, Guwahati, Imphal, Pune, Goa, Bangalore, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Vadodara and Nagpur.
All-Cargo Operators
Blue Dart Aviation Ltd.
An air freight company currently operating five converted Being 737-200's and two Boeing 757 freighters.
Above pic: Blue Dart Boeing 737 Freighter at Kolkata NSCB.
Crescent Air Cargo Services
Operates cargo flights within India, Colombo and Male with a single Fokker F-27 MK50 aircraft.
First Flight Courier
A courier company operates three eight ton capacity BAe ATP Freighters. The interior configuration of these aircraft is based on West Air Sweden's E-Class interior. Non-scheduled/Misc Operators
MDLR Airlines
Gurgaon-based MDLR Airlines offers charter flights between Chandigarh, Delhi, Ranchi and Kolkata. MDLR's fleet comprises of two British Aerospace Avro RJ70 jet aircraft. These are the first RJ70's to be operated by an Indian carrier. The 76-seater aircraft are configured in a two class layout, 8 business and 68 in economy class.
Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd.
Operates a fleet of 34 choppers comprising of 19 Dauphin 2, 4 Dauphin AS 365N3, 3 Bell 206L4, 3 Bell 407, 3 MI-172 and 2 Robinson R-44.
Jagson Airlines
Jagson Airlines' fleet consists of three 20-seater Dornier-228's and one Chetak-III helicopter. Jagson flies from its base in Delhi to Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Shimla, Kullu and Dharamsala. Jagson has operates two 26-seater MI-172 helicopters in the North Eastern states.
Left pic: Jagson Airlines has inducted two 26-seater Kazan Helicopters Mi-172 helicopters (photo shot at Delhi airport hangar). The Mi-172 is the world's largest passenger helicopter.
Deccan Aviation Pvt. Ltd.
Offers helicopter charter services. Deccan Aviation's chopper fleet includes of 5 Bell 206, 1 Bell 212, 2 Bell 407, 2 Ecurueil AS 355, 1 Eurocopter AS355F2 helicopters and two fixed wing single turboprop Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. The company has launched a low-cost regional airline, Air Deccan, using Airbus A320 and ATR 42-320 aircraft.
India International Airways Operates one Bell 222 helicopter.
Oberoi Air Charter
operates one Hawker 125-700B executive jet and one King Air C-90A turbo-prop.
Mesco Airlines
Operates two Ecureil and one M-172 helicopter.
Elbee Airlines
Operates three Fokker F27-200's
Million Air
Million Air offers a fleet of three helicopters and one Cessna Citation aircraft for charter.
Trans Bharat Aviation
Operates 2 Beech 99, one Piper Seneca-IV aircraft, 2 Bell 206 and one Bell 407 helicopter
Taj Air
Fleet includes two Falcon 2000 jets.
UB Air
UB Air has a fleet of two Bell 212s and one Alloutte helicopter.
Orient Flights
A Chennai based air charter service provider with a fleet of Piper Seneca III, Beechcraft King Air and Beechjet 400
United Helicharters Pvt. Ltd.
A Chennai based air charter service provider with a fleet of 4 Bell 212, 2 Bell 412 and 2 Sikorsky S76 helicopters.
Club One Air
Provides fractional aircraft ownership with a fleet five Cessna Citation Excel's and Citation CII's, three Eurocopter EC135's and one turboprop.
Himalayan Heli Services
Specializes in mountain flying with a chopper fleet of two Cheetah/SA 315B and one Chetak SA 316 B.
Announced New Airlines
Listed below are publicly announced new startup airlines with no flight operations currently.
Flyington Freighters
This Hyderabad-based cargo company has placed an order for six Airbus A330-200F freighter aircraft with the first delivery expected by 2009-10.
* Provisional data Copyright Manoj Jindal 1996-2007 Updated 06 Jul 2007
