MUMBAI- FA Airlines, based in Mumbai, is poised to acquire regional carrier FlyBig (S9), sources reveal to PTI.
Currently, FlyBig operates with a fleet of four planes. Established in 2022, FA Airlines has a dedicated focus on the aviation sector.
FlyBig New Owner: FA Airlines
Sources indicate that an initial agreement has been reached between the two companies for the acquisition.
Upon completion of the transaction, FlyBig’s fleet will see a significant expansion, with over 20 additional aircraft, they added.
Fauzia Arshi, a prominent entrepreneur from the film industry, serves as the Managing Director of FA Airlines.
Struggling Carrier
FlyBig which began operation with the ATR fleet no longer flies it. Currently, the carrier has a fleet of three De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. Two DHC-6 are in operation.
According to the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) March 2024 traffic figures, Flybig flew less than 1000 passengers.
Furthermore, the Gurugram-headquartered carrier canceled roughly 10% of its flights, the highest among all the Indian carriers in March 2024.
The airline is struggling with its fleet and has been canceling flights for a few months. Also. it has one of the lowest load factors compared with other regional carriers.
If we see the market share of Indian regional carriers it is under 2%, with Alliance Air (9I) being the largest regional carrier with a 1% market share.
As of May 2024, there are around 6 regional airlines in India: Alliance Air, Star Air (S5), IndiaOne Air (I7), FlyBig, Zooom Air (ZO), and the newly launched Fly91 (IC).
So it’s fair to say that despite being huge potential for regional traffic, the dedicated regional carrier struggles to penetrate deep inside.
On the other hand, the scheduled domestic carriers such as IndiGo (6E) and SpiceJet (SG) offer better connectivity with their regional network.
India stands as one of the world’s swiftest-growing civil aviation markets, with domestic air traffic witnessing a steady increase. Official data for the period of January-March 2024 reveals that airlines transported 391.46 lakh passengers.
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Flybig Cancels Flights Amid Fleet Grounding and New Deliveries Delays
The post FlyBig to Get New Mumbai-based Owner, the FA Airlines appeared first on Aviation A2Z.