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the Bengaluru based carrier has the nation’s economic Alliance Air, India’s largest
grown at a CAGR of 50% since it growth” regional airline is wholly owned
made its maiden flight in January by the Government of India
2019. In January, the airline Star Air operates an all Embraer through AI Asset Holding Ltd.,
was awarded 40 new routes fleet of five E145 and four E175 and run as an independent
under the UDAN 5 scheme. aircraft from its two operational Strategic Business Unit. The
In the same month, Star Air bases in Bengaluru Airport (BLR) Government has proposed an
announced that it had entered and Belagavi Airport (IXG) to 18 infusion of Rs 15.1 billion into
into a three-year agreement destinations across India. The the regional carrier, which will be
with SpiceXpress, a subsidiary four E175s configured with less used to reduce its accumulated
of the Indian Low Cost Carrier than 80 seats are on lease from debt. It presently has a fleet 18
SpiceJet, to manage the belly Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC). ATR72-600s, 2 ATR42-600s and
space capacity for cargo trans- The airline’s E175s feature 12 a single Dornier Do-228. Alliance
portation in the former’s fleet Business Class seats in a 1-2 Air acquired its two 50 seater
of nine aircraft. Capt. Simran seating layout with a 36” seat ATR 42-600s from aircraft lessor
Singh Tiwana, Chief Executive pitch and 64 Economy Class TrueNoord in February 2022
Officer, Star Air, said, “Star Air seats in a 2 - 2 seating layout to serve challenging airfields in
is happy to announce this with a 31” seat pitch. In June the Himalayas. Both aircraft are
exciting partnership with 2023, the Star Air entered into being used to operate from the
a Pool Programme Services
short runways at Shimla and
SpiceXpress. The flexi- Agreement with Embraer to Kullu airports, which are both
bility gained through this ensure support and maintenance located at high altitudes, and
alliance empowers Star services for its expanding fleet exposed to high temperatures.
Air to address the unique of Embraer E175s and existing
cargo needs of Tier 2 and 3 E145s. Embraer will provide Regional Revival
cities, the Real India, fos- comprehensive support solutions
tering economic growth to Star Air’s aircraft and ensure India’s RCS-UDAN scheme has
in previously overlooked the availability of high-quality, spurred the growth of regional
regions. This strategic genuine spare parts, logistics air travel in the country, with a
support, and technical assis-
partnership exemplifies tance as the carrier’s fleet total of 519 routes operation-
the commitment of both expands, thereby optimizing air- alised since its launch in October
2016. On the basis of five
airlines to redefine India’s craft performance and reducing rounds of biddings, 76 airports,
cargo landscape and drive maintenance-related downtime. including two water aerodromes
and nine helipads in different
regions of the country, have
been developed and operation-
alised by RCS flights. As the
airlines come to grip with offering
cost-effective regional opera-
tions, the succesful regional
carriers such as Star Air have
grown from strength to strength.
However, Indian regional carriers
will need to carefully calibrate
their operations to stay away
from the larger Indian domestic
carriers which also offer regional
air transport services. In the long
term the growth of regional air
travel will further enhance India’s
attractiveness as a vital commer-
cial aviation market.•
ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE MARCH - APRIL 2024 | 17
