GoAir all set to fly international
GoAir, the low-cost Indian carrier, is planning to launch overseas operations with flights from Mumbai to Phuket in Thailand and Male in Maldives, starting around October this year.
“We have plans to start overseas operations from October this year,” informed Jehangir Wadia, Managing Director, GoAir.
According to sources, the airline is anticipated to acquire two planes by October and would set the seal on its overseas plans by then. Though the carrier became eligible to fly international last year when it inducted its 20th aircraft, the launch has been postponed because of delay in deliveries of the Airbus A320 neo planes.
Currently, there are no direct flights from Phuket to India, and Male is linked only to cities in south India and Delhi. Thus, securing a slot at the Mumbai airport could be easier given the airport operator’s preference for virgin international routes.
More and more Indians are flying international with the figures growing at about 9 pc and, low-cost Indian carriers are increasing frequencies or launching new routes to cater to this demand. While IndiGo proposed to start services to Colombo from Mumbai and Bengaluru and has appointed a general sales agent in Sri Lanka, Air India Express, on the other hand, is launching services to Singapore from Madurai.
GoAir too, had plans to begin its international operations with flights from Kochi to Doha in Qatar and Dammam in Saudi Arabia by the second-half of this year. But the launches have been put out of the way for the time being, and the authorities have now zeroed in on Phuket and Male.
