India’s flybig lures new investor, to operate five aircraft

flybig (S9, Indore) has told the Indian newspaper Business Line that it has found a strategic investor and will take delivery of four additional aircraft over the next two months. However, the company declined to reveal either the identity of the investor or the amount it had received.

“This partnership will play a key role in maximising our fleet expansion. In order to reinforce its network, the airline is introducing two new aircraft to its fleet in September and another two in October making a total of five operational aircraft by the end of 2021. The new planes will be stationed at Guwahati and Indore,” the new regional carrier said in a written statement the newspaper published on August 20.

Having commenced flight operations in December 2020, flybig subsequently searched for a new investor to raise INR1 billion rupees (USD13.5 million) as it encountered serious cash flow issues, the same newspaper reported in July.

On August 19, flybig launched a new route under the Indian government’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme connecting Guwahati and the remote northeastern town of Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh, the state announced. The carrier’s single aircraft, a leased ATR72-500 turboprop, will operate the route 4x weekly.

“The operationalisation of Tezu Airport will boost the connectivity of Eastern Arunachal, which will facilitate easy and fast accessibility for the people to economic activities, business, and health services,” Arunachal Pradesh’s chief minister, Pema Khandu, said in a statement.

As the state shares international borders with three countries, Bhutan, China (Tibet), and Myanmar, Khandu pointed out that “a large chunk of the Indian Army and paramilitary personnel are serving in different parts of the state, and now they will also have a faster travel option to and from home.”

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, flybig also links Ahmedabad with Bhopal 7x weekly and Ahmedabad with Indore 13x weekly and from Indore onward to Raipur 7x weekly. It has been looking to take delivery of more aircraft in order to secure more UDAN routes. The Arunachal Pradesh statement said that flybig had already received approval under the UDAN scheme to commence flights between Guwahati and Pasighat, Pasighat and Shillong, and Tezu and Imphal, as well as Guwahati-Tezu.