TravTalk India Online Magazine
India’s aviation market is rapidly expanding, but regional connectivity has remained largely untapped. FLY91 is focusing on underserved destinations and customer-friendly innovations. Manoj Chacko, CEO & MD, FLY91, in an interview with TRAVTALK, shares how the airline was conceived, its early success, and plans ahead.
Nisha Verma
The idea of FLY91 had been brewing for years but gained momentum post-pandemic. Manoj Chacko, CEO & MD, FLY91, said, “While everyone was focused on narrow and wide-body aircraft, nobody was looking seriously\ at turboprops and regional flying. India has over 1,500 aircraft on order, and none of them is a regional aircraft. We saw that gap as a sweet spot.”
Launching in March 2024, FLY91 began with Goa as its base. “Today, we operate into eight cities, run about 550 flights a month with three ATRs, and our fourth aircraft will be inducted shortly,” he added.
Early trade lead
In its first year, FLY91 operated more than 3,500 flights and carried 1.7 lakh passengers. Attributing this success to a disciplined approach, Chacko revealed, “We are not here for vanity. Our business is about building a professional air transportation company. That means careful route selection and a very strong distribution system.” He believes that distribution has been a gamechanger for them. “If your content is not visible, customers cannot find you. We worked hard to be present across OTAs, B2B platforms, and with local travel agents. Our commission structure is simple and transparent, and our refund process is automated. The trade now knows we are a serious, trustworthy airline,” Chacko said.
Encashing routes
Proud of its distinctive network, the airline is clocking encouraging load factors. “Our sectors are not just about metro connectivity. We fly to places like Jalgaon, Sindhudurg, and Lakshadweep. These are cities with money and demand, but they had no real access. On unique sectors, we operate between 70–90 per cent. On popular sectors like Goa– Pune or Goa–Hyderabad, it is 95–100 per cent. That shows the strength of regional demand,” he said.
Future roadmap
FLY91 is taking a focused approach towards future. “In five years, we want to induct 30 aircraft across five bases, covering 50 cities,” he affirmed.
