Indian aviation is full of entrepreneurs trying to make a spot for themselves and provide more ideas and concepts for transporting Indians around the country and around the globe. IndiGo is the market leader; Air India is consolidating with Vistara; Air India Express is consolidating with AirAsia India/AIX Connect; SpiceJet has its troubles; Go Air/GoFirst is heading towards liquidation.

In the meantime, Akasa Air launched in 2022 and has gone international; Star Air launched operations in 2019 and is building a nice regional operation with Embraer aircraft; Alliance Air, Fly91, FlyBig and IndiaOne Air are running operations with turboprops, and more airlines are coming up now. Jet Airways continues to be in limbo as we write this.

Shankh Air gets an NOC to pursue a license.

Sharvan K. Vishwakarma is promoting Shankh Air, and he has a background in construction materials trading since 2022. The airline is intended to launch with a base in Uttar Pradesh and will hub itself out of the Noida International Airport in Jewar. It is reported that they have already received a No Objection Certificate from the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The airline project was launched in 2023, and Shankh Air intends to use Boeing 737-800NG aircraft. Per the airline’s website, the airline will operate a two-class (full-service) model and is currently in discussions with lessors for said aircraft to be acquired.

An NOC from the ministry is just the starting point. Between now and securing a license (an Air Operators Permit), Shankh Air needs to induct aircraft, hire employees, undergo security background checks for key personnel, write up manuals, conduct a bunch of proving flights, and so on before it gets the DGCA’s Air Operator Permit. Then, it needs slots for operating on various routes and create a labyrinth of IT systems. The airline intends to launch in late 2024, but 2025 is going to be a more workable target.

Air Kerala to launch in 2025

Air Kerala is the gestation of the long-intended aspiration of Kerala, God’s Own Country, to put up an airline of its own. But after decades of conversations, something is finally moving. The airline intends to base itself in Kochi and use ATR-72 turboprop aircraft to connect within the state and other cities.

UAE-based Afi Ahmed and Ayub Kallada are promoting the airline, and the airline also received its no-objection clearance from the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation earlier this year in July.

The airline hopes to launch in 2025 with 3 ATR-72 aircraft and will fly within Kerala and other cities in the South of India. It intends to scale up to 20 aircraft to venture into international operations. Eventually, the airline wants to connect “Non-Resident Keralites” with the Middle East, although it does not elaborate on how it will obtain slots and bilaterals for this ambition.

Harish Kutty has been appointed the airline’s chief executive officer. He comes from Salam Air, although he has previously worked at Air Arabia and SpiceJet.

Bottomline

Two airlines, Shankh Air and Air Kerala, are staking their claim to fly in the Indian skies. The business model for both is diametrically opposite. Shankh Air wants to run 737NG-based operations with a full-service model, and Air Kerala wants to run an ATR-72 based operation with an ultra-low-cost model. Ultimately, both are currently on the drawing board and have work to be done before becoming “real” airlines.

What do you think of the plans for Shankh Air and Air Kerala launch?

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