Post-Pandemic Airline Startups Ready For Takeoff

ETF Airways operated its first flight June 4, a roundtrip from Pristina, Kosovo, to Helsinki and back using a Boeing 737-800 leased from AerCap. In 2021, the airline, which intends to focus charter activities on Adriatic coast cities to destinations in France, Germany and the UK, is planning to concentrate on its setup, fine-tuning processes and working on efficiency, CEO Stjepan Bedic says. “There is a demand for our product, even in this year,” he says.

Breeze Airways, David Neeleman’s fifth airline startup, launched May 27 with a strategy of avoiding major hubs and instead targeting underserved cities and routes for business and leisure passengers. Its initial network comprises 39 nonstop routes between 16 cities in the Eastern, Midwest, Southeast and Southwest U.S. The ultra-low-cost carrier is operating Embraer 190s before its Airbus A220s arrive later in the year.

Avelo Airlines operated its inaugural Boeing 737-800 flight April 28 from Hollywood Burbank Airport near Los Angeles to Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Northern California. The LCC is also offering several other destinations in the Western U.S from its Burbank base. It has also set up its first East Coast base at Connecticut’s Tweed New Haven Airport.

Lagos, Nigeria-based Green Africa took delivery of its third ATR 72-600 aircraft June 3, making its entry-into-service fleet complete. The carrier has said it will initially serve the capital Abuja as well as Akure, Enugu, Ilorin, Owerri and Port Harcourt. The airline plans to add more cities within Nigeria as operations ramp up, and plans are underway for two more operational bases outside Lagos.

Indian startup Flybig operated its first flight May 24 from Guwahati in the northeast state of Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, another northeast state. The carrier, based in Indore in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, launched with backing from UDAN, the Indian government’s subsidy program aimed at supporting regional aviation. Flybig received its air operator certificate in December 2020 and is operating a single leased ATR 72-500.

Italian startup Ego Airways operated its first flight with an Embraer 190 on March 30 from Catania, Siciliy, to Parma in north-central Italy. As well as several Italian destinations, the new carrier is also offering services to Mykonos, Greece, and Ibiza, Spain.

Spanish long-haul startup World2fly, founded by hotel company Iberostar, took delivery of the first of two Airbus A350-900s it is leasing from Air Lease Corp. June 9. The Mallorca-based airline will operate the aircraft, equipped with a 432-seat single-class cabin, from Madrid to leisure destinations including Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Cancun, Mexico.