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Shank Air plans to commence its first flight from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to New Delhi.
The newest entrant in India’s civil aviation sector — Shankh Air — plans to lease its first aircraft by next month, a senior official with the airline told businessline.
According to Shankh Air’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Anurag Chhabra, the airline is currently in talks with aircraft lessors for narrow-body aircraft to start operations.
“In all probability, we are expecting our first aircraft to arrive by March 2025. We will be leasing at least two aircraft to start with and will take the count to five within the first year of operations as per the conditions laid down by DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation),” Chhabra told businessline.
Breaking from tradition, Shankh Air plans to go in for narrow-body aircraft with a seating capacity of around 180 passengers to start operations. Generally, start-up airlines in India lease out turboprop aircraft or smaller jets.
“We have secured a ‘full service national carrier’ licence, and hence, to start with, we are looking for only jet aircraft.”
On the other hand, Chhabra acknowledged the difficulty in leasing out aircraft due to the global supply chain shortages; however, he exuded confidence in receiving the desired number of planes within a short period of time.
Besides, he said, the airline is currently in the process of getting AOC (air operators certificate or permit) as per the required DGCA guidelines.
“Once we secure our AOC, would we be able to plan our launch and accordingly plan our ticket sale process,” he said.
The airline plans to commence its first flight from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to New Delhi. Mumbai is slated to be the airline’s second destination.
It is speculated that the airline would commence operations to the upcoming airports at Greater Noida and Navi Mumbai to take advantage of slot availability; however, there is no clarity yet on the aeronautical charges that would apply at these destinations.
Furthermore, Chhabra, cited has hired key personnel for various departments, who he said “have started their work”.
“We have also started the hiring activity for pilots.”
Regarding the challenges faced by new entrants in the country’s aviation sector, Chhabra pointed out that India’s aviation market offers significant growth opportunities, especially given the burgeoning middle class and expanding travel demand.
“However, starting an airline in India involves navigating a highly complex landscape like regulatory hurdles, high initial capital investment, fierce competition, and infrastructure limitations, these challenges make it essential for new entrants to be well-capitalised, patient, and prepared for the challenges,” he said.
“Nonetheless, with the right strategy and long-term planning, the Indian aviation market offers significant rewards for those able to successfully navigate these complexities.”
Published on February 24, 2025
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