A new Indian air carrier FlyBig inaugurated its very first flight. The airline launched operations on the first scheduled domestic route from Indore (IDR) to Ahmedabad (AMD), India.
The newest Indian airline FlyBig is the subsidiary of the private company Big Charter. The airline operated its first domestic flight from its base in Indore Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport (IDR) to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD) on January 3, 2021. The inaugural flight was operated by ATR 72-500 aircraft, registered as VT-FBA.
Having a little fleet consisting of one ATR 72-500 aircraft, which is capable to carry up to 68 passengers, and a single Dash 8 Q400, which is able to fly 78 travelers, FlyBig plans to expand the fleet with at least two more ATR 72-500s under separate lease agreements with Ezen Aviation and Aviation PLC (AVAP).
According to Planespotters.com data, FlyBig ATR 72-500 aircraft, registered as VT-FBA, was previously owned by Virgin Australia which withdrew the aircraft from service on January 15, 2020. The VT-FBA was added to the newest Indian carrier’s fleet in December 2020.
Meanwhile, FlyBig leased its Dash 8 Q400 turboprop aircraft under a wet-lease agreement from the Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet on December 21, 2020.
FlyBig is focused to serve more small to medium-sized Indian cities and plans to compete with existing rivals for the domestic Indian market while boosting its connections with local travel agencies. In addition to the IDR – AMD route, FlyBig also plans to add four more domestic destinations, including New Delhi (DEL) and Shillong (SHL) starting from January 4, Raipur (RPR) from January 13, and Bhopal (BHO) from February 1, 2021.
The new airline initially planned to launch the operations in mid-November 2020, but the launch was postponed due to paperwork, according to local media. FlyBig received its Air Operator’s Certificate (AoC) on December 14, 2020.
