A very encouraging and big news is coming out from the Indian aviation and aviation sector for the common citizens and travel lovers of the country. To take India's regional air traffic to new heights and make air travel accessible to remote small towns of the country, which till now did not have the benefit of direct air connectivity with major metros, regional airline company 'Fly91' has taken a historic step. The airline has placed a firm and official order to purchase a total of 40 new ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft to provide affordable, safe and fast travel options to passengers between Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities of the country. Senior aviation market experts and experts believe that this is the largest and most comprehensive fleet expansion order placed under the Regional Aviation category in recent years, which will completely change the face of the Indian airlines market in the times to come. If this huge deal is calculated according to the parameters of catalog or official list price, then the total price of these 40 state-of-the-art aircraft comes to more than Rs 8,300 crore (ie about 1 billion US dollars). However, under the rules of commercial aviation agreements, huge discounts and special concessions are also provided to airlines by aircraft manufacturers on orders of such large sizes. Despite this, the deal is considered to be the largest investment by any private airline in the Indian regional aviation sector. The main objective of the company is to implement the vision of the ambitious 'Udaan' (UDAN – Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme of the Government of India, under which the common man of the country is being fulfilled the dream of traveling by plane at very low fares. With this step of Fly91, there is full hope that the development of small towns of the country will get a new pace. Financial strength and major preparations to raise Rs 250 crore through investors. To successfully implement such a large and ambitious expansion project and to speed up the process of acquisition of aircraft, Fly91 has also started strengthening its financial preparations. According to sources associated with the company, the airline is busy in the process of raising new capital of about Rs 250 crore with its existing and new investors. Attracting such large-scale investment for early-stage companies in the aviation sector is a clear testament to the investor confidence in the growth of India's regional aviation market and Fly91's business model. The funds raised will not only be used in adding new aircraft fleet but will also be spent on launching new routes in different parts of the country, training of ground staff and development of modern facilities for passengers. This financial management of the company ensures that it does not face any cash flow issues during operations. Amidst the dominance of giant airlines like IndiGo and Air India in the country's aviation market, Fly91 has started creating a distinct and strong position for itself on regional routes. This support from investors proves that the number of passengers traveling by air in small cities of India is increasing significantly and its demand in the market is continuously increasing. The company's top management believes that as the country's economy is growing and the income of the middle class people is increasing, people are preferring air travel to save time instead of long distance trains. To meet this increasing demand, the company is working on a strategy to increase its operational capabilities manifold. The size of the current fleet will be doubled, cities like Sindhudurg and Jalgaon will get a big benefit. The biggest and special thing about this new and huge order is that after the inclusion of these 40 new aircraft in the fleet, the total number of operated aircraft with Fly91 will be more than double the size of the existing fleet. At present, this regional airline is mainly working to connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities of the country through its fleet of small and select aircraft. The company is currently offering its regular flight services between the beautiful but poor air connectivity cities of Sindhudurg and Jalgaon in Maharashtra under the Regional Connectivity Scheme of the government. Seeing the excellent response and huge demand from passengers on these routes, the airline management has decided to spread its wings further. When these 40 new ATR 72-600 aircraft will be added to the company's fleet one by one, the scope of connectivity between remote areas, religious places and business centers of the country will become unprecedentedly strong. Many small cities which till now were dependent only on road or rail and which took 12 to 24 hours to reach, will now be just one to two hours away by air. This will not only give a huge boost to local tourism, but will also help in business activities, new employment opportunities and in transporting patients to big hospitals during medical emergencies. This strategic expansion of Fly91 is a big step towards realizing India's dream in which every citizen of the country can enjoy air travel at affordable prices. Delivery of aircraft will start from the end of 2027, the entire fleet will be completed by 2032. The airline's timeline regarding this big order has also been made completely clear. Fly91 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Manoj Chacko revealed in an exclusive conversation with leading news agency PTI that the delivery of these 40 new state-of-the-art aircraft will start from the end of 2027. The company aims to completely include all 40 aircraft in its fleet by the year 2032, taking delivery in a phased manner. This long-term phased expansion will provide the company ample time and opportunity to stabilize its operations, recruit new pilots and crew members and strengthen its network at various airports across the country. At the same time, the airline's Chairman Harsha Raghavan, while confirming this historic deal, clarified in a statement that with the addition of these 40 aircraft, which have a huge cost of about $ 1 billion, Fly91's position in the Indian regional aviation market will become stronger and more competitive. He said that in a country like India with a vast geographical expanse where there is immense pressure on road and rail traffic, there is immense potential for regional aviation. As these new planes fly in the sky in the coming years, the world will become much smaller and accessible to the common people living in small towns of the country. This initiative of Fly91 is definitely going to start a new golden chapter in the history of Indian aviation.
