India's Star Air to add five more jets by March
Indian regional airline Star Air is preparing a new expansion of its fleet and flight network.
The Bengaluru-based company in the south of the country had already planned to add more aircraft last year, but has once again outlined its plans.
According to the carrier’s CEO, Simran Singh Tiwana, the fleet should gain five more jets by March, but he did not specify a model.
Star Air currently operates five ERJ 145s, with 50 seats, and four E175s, with 76 seats.
“By the end of this financial year, we aim to operate a fleet of 14 aircraft, consolidating our network with over 100 flights across our 23-station network to maximize efficiency, aircraft utilization and service reliability,” the CEO told the Economic Times.
The company, which has been in operation for six years, has already transported 1.5 million passengers and currently operates 44 daily flights to 23 destinations within India, on routes not served by the country’s major airlines.
MRO in the plans
In addition to expanding its route network, Star Air has also announced plans to set up MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) facilities at a location yet to be revealed.
According to Singh Tiwana, the service will be operated by an engineering subsidiary and will support the company’s fleet as well as third parties, focusing on regional aircraft and business jets.
The air travel market in India is one of the fastest growing in the world and Star Air is one of the few operators of Embraer aircraft in the country.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
