GoAir looks at expanding its operations to select destinations in India
9th July 2010
According to a PTI report, with an aim to expand its operations, budget carrier GoAir is evaluating few a few sectors on pan- India basis. Currently, Pune, Leh, Jammu, Imphal, Port Blair, Kolkata and Chennai are on the radar. It has also advanced the delivery of ten aircraft in the second tranche, slated to commence from January 2012, by four months.
Certain sources informed that the airline had placed orders for 20 A-320 aircraft worth USD 1.2 billion in 2006 with their deliveries staggered over two tranches. While induction of the first tranche of ten aircraft will be completed in September this year, the second tranche, slated to commence from January 2012, has been advanced by four months and will receive the first aircraft of the second tranche as early as in September 2011.
GoAir’s current fleet strength is eight. Acquisition of these aircraft will be done through internal accruals, as well as by raising funds through sale and lease back. The airline is planning to sale and lease back four aircraft which are due for delivery in 2011-12. This year, the airline will induct two planes, one later this month and the other in September this year, mentioned the sources, adding that, this will complete the first phase of the fleet expansion plans.
Sources added that Northeast, Andamans, Jammu and Kashmir are designated as special category routes which are considered socially- important but financially unviable. While the Pune flight was likely to start in the next few months, the Leh service is expected to commence during the winter schedule which starts from October this year.
Maintaining that the company had witnessed ‘phenomenal growth’ in its revenue and passenger traffic in the last one year, the sources said that the airline received 154 per cent growth in passenger number in 2009-10 compared to 2008-09. The airline posted a 133 per cent growth in revenue at Rs 860 crore in the last fiscal as against Rs 360 crore in 2008-09.
Sources added that Quarter One of this fiscal has been encouraging with passenger traffic up by 70 per cent against the corresponding period of the last fiscal. At the same time, revenue growth has been around 70-72 per cent higher in Quarter One of this fiscal as against Quarter One of 2009-10.
The airline also plans to hire pilots and cabin crew over the next two-three months. The airline recently inducted 21 First Officers and now plans to hire another ten pilots. GoAir now has a pool of 113 pilots, which includes 48 commanders and 65 First Officers. In addition, the airline is also going to hire around 74 cabin crew in the next two-three months which will take the total number of in-flight crew to 202.
