Regional airline FLY91 will start commercial services on March 18 and flights to Lakshadweep in April. The Goa-based carrier, which will have a fleet of 70-seater ATR 72-600 aircraft, has raised USD 25 million, and plans to connect 50 cities in 5 years, its MD and CEO Manoj Chacko said on Tuesday.

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At a briefing at the Mopa airport, Chacko said it will start commercial services from March 18 with flights from Goa to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

There will also be flights to Sindhudurg from Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

The carrier will start flights to Agatti in Lakshadweep from April.

FLY91 will have a total of six ATR 72-600 planes in six months.

Currently, there are two aircraft in its fleet.

"We aim to connect Bharat," Chacko said and added that initially, it will connect 13 city pairs. In the next five years, FLY91 plans to have around 35 planes, connect 50 cities and 6 bases, Chacko said.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday virtually inaugurated the symbolic flight of FLY91.

The carrier, operated by Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd, seeks to enhance air connectivity across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

In his address, Scindia said that earlier, airlines' closure and bankruptcy used to be the news.

In the past 10 years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, six new regional airlines have come up.

On the airline, Chacko said it is well-capitalised and currently has around 200 staff. For every new aircraft, FLY91 will be adding 25 people and for each new station, the addition will be around 20 staff.

"We have a conservative, restricted growth path," he said.

The airline received its air operator permit from aviation regulator DGCA on March 6. Chacko said the airline's first base Goa is a huge attraction for pilots.

The airline is promoted by Chacko, a former Kingfisher Airline's senior executive, former Fairfax India head Harsha Raghavan, and others. It is also the first Indian airline to use Goa's Manohar International Airport as its home base.

The airline also operated a ceremonial flight from Goa to Agatti in Lakshadweep on Tuesday.

In April 2023, the carrier received the no objection certificate for flying from the civil aviation ministry.