India’s flybig eyes ATR72-600s; Dash 8 wet-lease

flybig (S9, Indore) is to induct two ATR72-600s by March-end and is also planning to wet-lease a DHC-8-Q400 soon, an unnamed source at the airline has told India’s BusinessLine newspaper.

The Avions de Transport Régional turboprops are identified as VT-TMC (msn 1364) and VT-TMT (msn 1385). According to the source, they are being leased from Indian lessor Vman Aviation Services based in Gujarat Gift City, which reportedly has subleased them from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Ltd.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, both aircraft are owned and managed by DAE Capital and were operated by TruJet (2T, Hyderabad Int’l) since 2016 and 2018 respectively. VT-TMC is currently in maintenance at Hyderabad Int’l, while VT-TMT is stored at the same airport. flybig already flies one ATR72-500, VT-FBA (msn 955), owned by Avation.

The carrier was founded in December 2020 by pilot-turned-entrepreneur Sanjay Mandavia, who planned to induct at least 24 aircraft and establish the carrier on the Indian government’s subsidised UDAN regional connectivity routes, of which it was awarded 15. According to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, it is currently serving Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Lilabari, Agartala, Pasighat, and Kolkata Int’l.

In August last year, the airline told BusinessLine it had secured a strategic investor. However, the newspaper now reports the company is experiencing a cash crunch and has no investors on board, but remains in conversation with possible suitors.