Start-Up Carriers: Who's New?

January has seen a number of start-up carriers taking shape across the world, including New Delhi-based, Vistara which took to the skies this month. The Tata-SIA joint venture operated its first scheduled flight between Delhi and Mumbai on January 10, 2015, and will become the third full-service carrier in the country after Air India and private carrier Jet Airways.

The airline has also recently announced its plans for expansion, with plans to begin flights to South and North-East India. Vistara has been cleared to launch flights to Goa, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Guwahati, most of which will be launched from its hub in Delhi. Most of the expansion will start after February 15, 2015, when the fog season restrictions will be lifted. “Delhi-Mumbai flights will be increased from three to five both ways and there will be an additional Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight,” said a Vistara spokesperson.

Sky Aviation underwent a purchasing and rebrand at the back-end of 2014, when it was acquired by Makassar-based Bosowa Group according to a report by the Jakarta Post. Bosowa has told the newspaper that is still "in the process of acquiring a 100% stake" in Sky Aviation and that it plans to change its business model and brand before resuming operations. The airline also plans to buy a number of new aircraft to add the current Sky Aviation fleet.

Indian start-up, Air Kerala has announced it was gradually moving off the drawing board, and could at long last launch operations in July this year, nearly nine years after the project was first conceived. “The service, connecting the three airports in the State as well those in the neighbourhoods is expected to commence within seven months from now and we are in the final stages of negotiations for leasing in the aircraft,” a top airport official told a local newspaper on condition of anonymity.

HolidayJet has unveiled its planned launch network, scheduled to commence in late March this year, with service on-board a pair of A319-100s. A joint-venture between Germania and Swiss tour operator, Hotelplan, HolidayJet has confirmed it will offer flights from Zurich to Antalya and Dalaman in Turkey, Djerba in Tunisia, Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada in Egypt, Larnaca in Cyprus, and Kerkyra, Kos, Heraklion, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, and Zakinthos in Greece. Germania has already applied to Switzerland’s civil aviation authority for an Air Operators Certificate.

Air Horizont is a Zaragoza-backed start-up hoping to commence operations this spring. It will be the second time the carrier has attempted to launch, with a previous attempt in 2011 which failed due to inadequate funds. According to FranjaDigital.com, the carrier plans to operate bi-weekly flights to Seville, Rome Fiumicino and Munich initially, before adding Malaga, Alicante, Las Palmas and Bologna.

Also in Spain, LaNuevaEspaña has informed that another airline – Leon Airlines has been set up with the intention of operating between Leon and Barcelona starting in February 2015, with a 30-seat leased Saab 340. It has since been announced that the airline will commence operations on April 1, at 09:30am from Leon Airport in the north of Spain. The airline has plans to expand to Palma de Mallorca with two weekly flights, and to Alicante with a weekly service. During the summer months, the airline plans to operate to Malaga once weekly, also operating two more aircraft from other regional airports to the same destinations.

In Madrid, Pullmantur Air has been rebranded as Wamos Air, with one of the repainted Boeing 747-400s emerging in Wamos Air livery at the end of December last year. The airline currently holds a fleet of four Boeing 747-400 aircraft, with one aircraft currently operating for Saudia and the other leased to Garuda Indonesia.

In Greenland, start-up carrier Aluu Airlines owned by former Air Greenland pilot, Pele Broberg, is looking to complete its certification within the next few weeks and commence operations by the summer. The airline plans to offer scheduled flights between its hub in Nuuk, to Ilulissat and Kangerlussaq, before expanding to Copenhagen Kastrup using both Airbus and ATR turboprop aircraft.

Finally, Egyptian carrier Aviator has commenced commercial operations using a leased Boeing 737-500 from EgyptAir. The start-up carrier currently operates domestic charter flights, and plans to schedule charter operations to Europe from February this year.