Tag: Aviation Growth

Business

FLY91 Leases Two Aircraft from TrueNoord to Accelerate Regional Expansion

Swara Bodke

Written by Intern Swara Bodke || Team Allycaral

Regional airline FLY91 has inducted two aircraft under long-term operating leases from regional aircraft lessor TrueNoord, continuing its measured fleet expansion aimed at strengthening air connectivity across Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets in India.
The first aircraft entered service in December 2025, while the second, delivered in January 2026, is scheduled to commence operations in February. With this transaction, TrueNoord becomes FLY91’s second aircraft lessor.
“This partnership gives us the flexibility to scale our fleet in a disciplined manner, aligned with demand and our long-term regional strategy,” said Manoj Chacko, Managing Director and CEO of FLY91. “The addition of a second leading global lessor to our portfolio is a significant reaffirmation of FLY91’s operational strengths, governance standards and execution capability.”
One of the newly inducted aircraft will be based in Goa, the airline’s home base, while the other will operate from Hyderabad, reinforcing FLY91’s dual-hub strategy and its focus on underserved regional routes.
Harsha Raghavan, Chairman of FLY91 and Managing Partner at Convergent Finance, said the collaboration supports responsible scaling. “The partnership with TrueNoord enables growth while maintaining financial and operational discipline.”


India’s regional aviation market continues to gain momentum, driven by increasing demand from smaller cities and policy support under the UDAN scheme. Welcoming the partnership, Anne-Bart Tieleman, CEO of TrueNoord, said the company is pleased to support FLY91’s growth plans. He noted that regional flying in India is becoming increasingly viable and commercially sustainable, with airlines seeking aircraft that can be rapidly deployed, operate from regional airports and deliver low trip-cost economics.
Abhineet Awasthi, Commercial & Transaction Manager at TrueNoord, highlighted FLY91’s execution-focused approach. “FLY91 is an agile, execution-driven airline with a clear regional connectivity focus. The team demonstrated a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach throughout the transaction.”
With the induction of these aircraft, FLY91’s fleet expands to four aircraft. The airline currently serves nine destinations and plans to grow its network to 15 destinations in the first quarter of 2026, with two additional aircraft expected to join the fleet by the end of Q1 FY2026.

Travel

Air India Adds 174 Weekly Flights to Domestic and Short-Haul International Network for Winter 2025

Tanisha Cardozo

Air India has announced a significant network expansion for the Northern Winter Schedule 2025, introducing 174 additional weekly flights across key domestic and short-haul international routes starting 26 October 2025. The new schedule strengthens connectivity between major Indian cities and Southeast Asian destinations, reflecting the airline’s commitment to offering greater convenience and choice for travelers.

Among the international enhancements, flights from Delhi to Kuala Lumpur and Denpasar (Bali) will each increase from seven to ten weekly services, effective mid-November and early December respectively. Domestically, the expansion focuses on high-demand destinations in Rajasthan, with new routes such as Delhi–Jaipur and Delhi–Jaisalmer, along with increased frequencies on existing routes including Delhi–Udaipur, Mumbai–Jaipur, and Mumbai–Jodhpur. Additional flights are being introduced across Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and other cities including Varanasi, Port Blair, Guwahati, Raipur, and Amritsar.

This growth follows the near completion of Air India’s comprehensive retrofit program for its legacy Airbus A320neo aircraft, launched in September 2024. Of the 27 aircraft, 26 have been completely refurbished with brand-new interiors featuring Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class. With this upgrade, Air India now operates more than 100 A320 Family aircraft with enhanced interiors, serving over 80 domestic and short-haul international destinations.

The expansion is part of the airline’s ongoing transformation plan under Vihaan.AI, which aims to rebuild Air India into a world-class global carrier with an Indian heart. The airline, which returned to the Tata Group in 2022 after seven decades of government ownership, continues to evolve under an ambitious five-year roadmap. With more than 300 aircraft in its fleet and an order for 570 new planes underway, Air India is reshaping the future of Indian aviation through network growth, modern infrastructure, and superior customer experience.

As part of the larger Air India Group, which includes the full-service Air India and low-cost Air India Express, the company is leading the next chapter of Indian aviation by expanding reach, enhancing quality, and strengthening India’s position as a global travel hub.