Guwahati, Saturday, October 7, 2006
Pvt airline to set HQs in Guwahati
From Kalyan Barooah
NEW DELHI, Oct 6 – Want to fly for leisure and take a close look at the breathtaking Himalayan Range? Come December, it may be possible to do all this and more, when Surya Airlines launches its services in the North-east. The Airlines that was recently given permission by the Civil Aviation Ministry to launch regional air service in the region, is planning to introduce a service that might prove to be a hit with tourists. For the Airline proposes to fly tourists on a sightseeing tour of the Kanchanjungha Mountain Range.
"We have been keeping this plan close to our chest. But yes we are going to introduce these 'Mountain Flights' in the morning hours, when the passenger traffic is not heavy, and take passengers around the Himalayan Range," said the chairman-cum-managing director, K Balachandran Nair of the Universal Empire Group, which owns the Surya Airlines.
Not keeping himself confined to the Himalayan tour, Nair also plans to add Manas National Park and few other tourist hotspots into his circuit, when his Airlines gets going.
Surya Airlines, which is tipped as the first Airline to use US-made 19-seater double-engine Beechcrafts is going to the first private airline to run all its operations out of Guwahati. "All our operations are going to be headquartered in Guwahati," Nair said.
Initially, the Airline is going to make extensive use of the Agartala Airport because of the availability of hangar facilities, but eventually Guwahati would be our hub of operations," he added.
Surya Airlines proposes to start its operations with three of the Beechcrafts and follow it up with four more.
"First few months we are going to study the markets and the passenger traffic pattern before finalising our strategy," said Nair.
Surya Airline, which is all set to give the State-run Alliance Air, a run for its money, is planning to keep its fare structure low, though it is not going to be a no-frills service. "We will provide full passenger service," added his vice president, Arun Kumar Pillai.
To ensure maximum penetration into the remote corners of the region, the Airline has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to explore the possibility of reopening 15-16 smaller airports build during the Second World War period.
Replying to a question, he said that they were looking for extension of all the facilities and incentives like tax holidays and Aviation Turbine Fuel at concessional rates, besides hanger facilities from Government of India.
Nair said he was confident of his latest venture doing well in the North-east. "All my life I have worked in backward areas and hence quite used to working in such weaker areas," he said.
The Universal Empire is not new to the Region and Nair's Company runs a private medical college in Agartala. It is the first successful public-private medical college," he claimed.
With more and more private airlines looking to the markets in the North-east, the air over the Region is likely to get crowded. The Kingfisher Airline, the Ministry of DoNER besides Deccan Air are all exploring the possibility of launching dedicated air service in the Region.
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