Gallery: A Look at Airline Startups

Aero K, formerly known as KAIR Airlines, is a South Korean LCC based at Cheongju Airport. Aero K received its air operator’s certificate (AOC) from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Dec. 28, 2020, and began operations April 15, 2021 with the launch of 3X-daily Jeju-Cheongju Airbus A320 service.

ExpressJet Airlines leisure brand aha! launched service from its Reno, Nevada base Oct. 24, 2021 with service to Pasco/Tri-Cities, Washington state and Bakersfield, California. Aha! plans to serve eight cities from Reno with three-times-weekly frequencies. All flights are operated with 50-seat Embraer 145s.

South Korean startup Air Premia is seeking approval to launch service to the US, with plans to begin flights between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Los Angeles (LAX) in the 2022 second quarter. The airline, which received its AOC in July 2021, hopes to secure a foreign air carrier permit from the US Department of Transportation granting authority to start scheduled Boeing 787-9 operations between South Korea and the US, as well as points beyond.

Based in Sialkot, Pakistan, and owned by the city’s chamber of commerce, its first commercial flight was on Dec. 23, 2020. Styled as a full-service carrier, it has begun offering daily flights to Karachi from Islamabad and Lahore; it also plans to serve Karachi from Peshawar and Sialkot. Aviation Week Network’s Fleet Discovery database shows the airline has three A320s in its nascent fleet, all leased from AerCap.

Ava Airways is a Dominican Republic airline venture, established to cater for the demand between its hub at Santo Domingo and Caribbean, Latin American, North American, European, and later, African destinations. The carrier’s inaugural flight was planned for March 2020; however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic had to be postponed and the new launch date will likely be in Q2-Q3 of 2022.

US startup Avelo Airlines launched flights April 28, 2021, with service from Hollywood Burbank Airport to Santa Rosa, California. The ULCC said it will continue to roll out new routes in the coming months, with 10 more destinations, all connecting with Hollywood Burbank. Avelo Airlines serves American cities that are currently underserved with point-to-point flights. The airline operates 189-seat Boeing 737-800s.

Ukrainian startup Bees Airline began commercial operations in March 2021 with scheduled Boeing 737-800 services between Kyiv Zhulyany and Sharjah. The startup launched a route to the United Arab Emirates in October 2021 and has plans to add flights from Odesa to Ganja in Azerbaijan and Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

Australian startup LCC Bonza announced its intent to launch operations in the second quarter of 2022, it was revealed Oct. 12, 2021, pending regulatory approval. The LCC is majority owned by US-based private investment company 777 Partners, which has also invested in Canadian LCC Flair. The investment company has 24 Boeing 737-8s on order, which it intends to lease to its affiliated airlines. Bonza will start as yet determined service with two or three Boeing 737 MAXs.

US startup LCC Breeze Airways launched operations on May 27, 2021, with service from Florida’s Tampa International Airport (TPA) to South Carolina’s Charleston International Airport (CHS). The Utah-based carrier, founded by entrepreneur David Neeleman—who also launched WestJet, JetBlue and Azul Brazilian Airlines, among others—is targeting unserved markets in “cities that have been forgotten or neglected.” Currently Breeze serves 16 US airports, offering the most capacity from CHS, New Orleans Louis Armstrong (MSY) and TPA. Breeze is eyeing rapid expansion and seeking network growth opportunities across the Americas, the Caribbean and Western Europe.

Boston-based charter operator Waltzing Matilda Aviation (WMA) is planning to launch a new scheduled airline later in 2021 targeting business traffic. Connect Airlines will be based at Toronto’s downtown Billy Bishop City Airport (YTZ), offering routes to points in the northeast and Midwest US using De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprop aircraft. The startup plans to be operational by October 2021.

EGO Airways is a privately owned Italian startup based at Milan Malpensa Airport. The airline was founded in 2019 and received an Embraer E190 in July 2020. EGO operated its maiden flight March 30, 2021, from Catania Fontanarossa Airport to Guiseppe Verdi Airport in Parma.

ETF Airways is a Croatian company founded in November 2020 by a group of aviation industry professionals and former pilots. The airline received its AOC in May 2021 in Croatia, and began operations June 4, 2021 with Pristina-Helsinki service. ETF Airways has a fleet of two leased Boeing 737-800s, with plans to expand to seven aircraft by 2025.

Lufthansa Group’s new leisure subsidiary Eurowings Discover launched services July 24, 2021 from Frankfurt to Mombasa, Kenya, with onward service to Zanzibar, Tanzania with an Airbus A330-200. First flights to Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic and Windhoek (WDH), Namibia began in August. New services to Las Vegas (LAS) and Mauritius (MRU) will follow on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, respectively. Starting in November, Eurowings Discover plans to begin short- and medium-haul leisure flights with Airbus A320s from Frankfurt. The startup plans to open a second base in Munich—where it will base five A320s in Bavaria—for the summer 2022 season.

FLY AIR41 is a startup founded in 2021 with Sundair as a sister airline company in Germany, based in Zagreb, Croatia. FLY AIR41, which received its AOC Aug. 18, 2021, will operate as a charter and wet-lease carrier. FLY AIR41’s first operations will be for Sundair itself. The new carrier’s first aircraft, an Airbus A319, will be based in Leipzig (LEJ) and started operating for Sundair on Aug. 20 to the Greek island of Corfu. By late summer, the two carriers plan to operate a combined eight Airbus A320-family aircraft.

India’s Flybig was launched with backing from Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), the Indian government subsidy program introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support regional flying and received its AOC in December 2020. The Indore-based airline is designed to increase connectivity to what is the largest city in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Flybig services began in January 2021 with a single leased ATR 72-500.

Flypop is a startup British low-cost, long-haul airline that plans to provide nonstop flights from London Stansted to second cities of India (Amritsar and Ahmedabad to start with) and South Asia and eventually connecting to North America. It plans to launch Airbus A330-300 services (leased from Avolon) in 2021.

Oslo-based LCC Flyr began operations June 30, 2021 with Boeing 737-800 service from Oslo to Tromsø. The Norwegian company’s initial route network encompasses six domestic points, plus three popular Mediterranean leisure destinations. Flyr has a long-term strategic target of 50 routes to 35 destinations—increasingly angled toward the Mediterranean along with central and eastern Europe.

Startup virtual airline flyv aims to launch in Europe in 2023 and plans to offer on-demand service between poorly connected markets with a heavy focus on business travelers. The Munich-registered airline will provide travelers with a three-hour timeframe at the point of booking, using algorithms to calculate fleet availability and a “best cost.” Passengers will receive their exact itinerary details three days before departure.

Hong Kong-based startup Greater Bay Airlines plans to operate a launch network of three routes using Boeing 737-800s across the Asia-Pacific region when it begins commercial operations during the 2021 fourth quarter. The carrier will connect Hong Kong (HKG) with Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Phuket (HKT) in Thailand, along with Singapore Changi (SIN). Founded by Chinese property tycoon Bill Wong Cho-bau, who also owns Shenzhen-based Donghai Airlines, Greater Bay Airlines hopes to secure its operating license and AOC on Sept. 17, 2021, from the Hong Kong Air Transport Licensing Authority. The carrier will reportedly operate its first flight on Oct. 1, a charter flight from the city territory to Beijing.

Nigerian startup Green Africa obtained its AOC and started ATR 72-600 operations from Lagos (LOS) and Abuja on Aug. 12, 2021. The Lagos-based carrier intends to serve seven domestic destinations. A further five routes will be offered from LOS, linking the city with Akure, Enugu, Ilorin, Owerri and Port Harcourt.

GullivAir is a startup Bulgarian airline headquartered in Sofia. It plans to have a fleet of three Airbus A330s. In March 2021, GullivAir received an air carrier permit from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate scheduled and charter flights between the US and the European Union. It’s first flight was an ATR 72-600 service from Sofia-Burgas on April 29. GullivAir plans to launch three weekly flights between the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, and New York’s JFK airport.

UK-India startup Hans Airways made substantial progress toward its air operator’s certificate (AOC) in November 2021, but its launch is being held up by a frequency cap on UK-India flights. Privately owned Hans Airways plans to operate direct non-stop Airbus A330-300 flights from Birmingham in the UK to undisclosed secondary destinations in India. The carrier was founded by CEO Satnam Saini in October 2019 and an AOC application was submitted in March 2020, with a view to an autumn 2021 launch.

South Korean regional startup Hi Air, which is a subsidiary of Korea’s Hi Global Group, was founded in 2017 and began domestic service in early 2020. The Seoul-based carrier operates three ATR 72-500s, with plans to increase up to 10 ATR turboprops.

South African LCC LIFT opened bookings in November 2020 and began operating Dec. 10, 2020, with services from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Lift has a fleet of Airbus A320s provided by Johannesburg-based ACMI specialist Global Airways and is emphasizing the flexibility of its passenger model. Lift was founded by Gidon Novick, formerly the CEO of Kulula.com, and its CEO is former Uber executive Jonathan Ayache.

Lübeck Air is a regional carrier based in the city of Lübeck, Germany, operating in partnership with Air Alsie. The carrier launched with twice-daily Lübeck-Munich ATR 72 service on Aug. 17, 2020. The virtual airline provides three services a day to two domestic destinations. It is the first airline to operate scheduled services out of the Baltic Sea airport of Lübeck since Wizz Air left in 2016.

Startup Scandinavian airline Norse Atlantic Airways plans to launch operations in 2022 with 15 Boeing 787s flying passengers between Europe and the US. Bjørn Tore Larsen is the founder and CEO of Norse.

Reykjavik-based startup PLAY, which began commercial operations in June, hopes to launch scheduled service from Iceland to the US during the summer 2022 season, serving points on the US east coast using Airbus A321neo aircraft. PLAY applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in August for a foreign carrier permit and exemption authority as the startup seeks to pursue a connecting strategy between Europe and the US via Iceland.

Italian regional leisure airline SkyAlps plans to launch in the second half of 2021 with the first of two DHC-8-Q400s on service from Bolzano, Italy, to destinations in Germany, Spain and other parts of Italy.

Indonesian startup airline Super Air Jet (IU) started first commercial operations Aug. 6, 2021, albeit strict movement control restrictions across the country. The LCC launched daily Jakarta (CGK)-Medan (KNO) and Jakarta-Batam (BTH). The carrier received its AOC in June 2021, and has announced intentions to serve Palembang, Padang and Pontianak as its starting network. Backed by Lion Air founder Rusdi Kirana, the LCC has four 180-seat Airbus A320s, leased from CDB Leasing Company, Orix Aviation and ICBC Aviation Leasing.

S7 Airlines revealed that its new low-cost unit will be known as Citrus and commence commercial operations in July 2022. Citrus’s route network will focus on point-to-point interregional services, mainly in central Russia. Flights are expected to bypass the Moscow region. The company said the startup’s branding reflects its goal of connecting cities in Russia, as well as offering passengers a “vibrant and positive travel experience.” S7 hopes the new subsidiary will carry about one million passengers during its first year of operation, rising to between six and seven million by 2024. The LCC’s fleet will initially consist of four Airbus A320neos and then add between six and eight aircraft annually.

Guatemalan carrier TAG Airlines is beginning services to Mexico with the launch of two new routes from Guatemala City (GUA). Mexico becomes the fourth country served by the Guatemalan carrier, alongside Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. The first flight launched Aug. 13, 2021, connecting GUA with Tapachula (TAP), a city in the far southeast of the state of Chiapas, near the Mexico-Guatemala border and the Pacific Ocean. Flights will be offered five times per week using Embraer E110 and Saab 340 aircraft.

Madrid-based Swiftair launched a new airline—Uep! Fly, which means “hello” in Majorcan, which provides ATR 72-500 services on routes between the Balearic Islands and mainland Spain, soon to be expanded to other EU countries. Its first flight was launched July 16, 2021 between its base in Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca.

Vietnam’s Vietravel Airlines began scheduled services on Jan. 25, 2021. The carrier was established by major tourism operator Vietravel. Its initial routes will be domestic, tapping into a leisure market that has rebounded well, since most international flights into the country remain suspended because of COVID-19. The carrier eventually plans to add international destinations in Southeast and Northeast Asia. Vietravel Airlines started with three Airbus A321s, which have all been delivered. It plans to operate an initial network of seven routes: between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, Hanoi, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, and between Hanoi and Da Nang, Hue and Phu Quoc.

Volaris subsidiary, Volaris El Salvador, received an AOC and operation permit of El Salvador to operate as its national carrier. The startup will begin Airbus A320 flights in September 2021, broadening Volaris’ ultra-low-cost model in Central America.

LCC Wizz Air Abu Dhabi launched operations April 18, 2021 with the 3X-daily Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi route, after Israel was added to the green list, meaning travelers no longer needed to quarantine upon arrival in Abu Dhabi. From May 2021, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi began daily Airbus A321 flights between the two destinations.

The Iberostar hotel group is launching its own carrier, World2Fly, with two leased Airbus A350s. World2Fly is focused as a travel company to leisure destinations. Therefore, for the 2021 summer season it launched flights from Madrid (MAD) to Havana (HAV) in Cuba from July 1, Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic from June 19 and Cancun (CUN) in Mexico started on June 21.

Zambia’s new national carrier, Zambia Airways, began operations Dec. 1. Ethiopian Airlines holds a 45% stake in the joint venture, while Zambia’s Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) retains 55%. Together the shareholders have contributed $30 million in startup capital to establish the airline. Zambia Airways, which carries the IATA code ZN, will initially operate an all-De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 fleet. The flag carrier’s first domestic flight on Dec. 1, 2021, was from capital city Lusaka (LUN) to Ndola (NLA). Zambia Airways will operate the LUN-NLA route 6X-weekly and will also serve Livingstone (LVI) 5X-weekly from the Zambian capital. Other domestic routes, to Mfuwe (MFU) and Solwezi (SLI), will follow before regional destinations. Johannesburg (JNB) and the Zimbabwean capital Harare (HRE) are set to be added to the Zambia Airways network within the first quarter of 2022.