Indian travel giant looks to launch own Kerala-based carrier
Indian travel and tourism specialist Alhind Group has applied for an air operator's permit (AOP) from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), PV Valsaraj, the group's managing director, told CNBC-TV18. "About 95% of our approvals are done," he said, including security clearance, and the company is now awaiting final approvals including "a No Objection Certificate from the Civil Aviation Ministry." He named the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, as likely destinations. "Our main aim is to start international flying. Over 60% of our ticketing business is for the Gulf and Far East," Valsaraj explained. "We are able to fill about 80% of planes. We have a deep-rooted sales network. New airlines have the challenge of building a network. The advantage for us is that we have already built the network for the past 30 years, so we know how the market is, the exact routes to be operated, and how profit generated." Alhind Group's website advertises "millions of cheap flights". It says the group was incorporated in 1992 in Kerala, and it also operates as Alhind & Middle East Travels in the Gulf. Services include separate B2B portals for online flight and accommodation bookings and financial services. The group also has divisions providing package tours, Hajj and Umrah tours to Saudi Arabia, car and coach hire, a construction firm, a recruitment agency, IT software solutions, an lATA-authorised training centre with aviation, cargo, and GDS courses, a bus company, a hotel, and visa services. The group claims to have achieveda turnover of INR200 billion rupees (USD2.38 billion) in 2023. Kerala will see the launch in 2025 of Air Kerala (Kochi International), with three ATR72-600s, having recently received an NOC from the Civil Aviation Ministry to operate regional commuter services.
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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