Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia India to take to skies from Chennai on June 12
Posted on: 30/May/2014 9:42:56 AM
Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia will take to Indian skies from June 12, with two daily flights on the Chennai-Bangalore route and one on the Bangalore-Goa route. The ticket sales for these flights will begin on May 30.
AirAsia India Pvt Ltd (AAIPL), a joint venture between Tata Sons, AirAsia and Telestra, at present has one aircraft. The announcement came on the day TDP leader Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati took over as aviation minister.
The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) gave AAIPL a licence on May 7 and cleared its schedule on Thursday. The carrier’s CEO Mittu Chandilya promised tickets 35% cheaper than existing fares. IndiGo is the market leader in the domestic segment in India.
Just hours after AAIPL’s announcement, the fare war broke out with low-cost carrier SpiceJet offering tickets from Rs 1,499 on Air Asia’s launch routes.
The carrier will offer 15kg free check-in baggage — something it does not do anywhere else in the world. The carrier plans to fly to Delhi later but Mumbai is still not on its radar.
The airline marks the re-entry of the Tatas into the airline business after decades. The Air India founders had tied up with Singapore Airlines in the late 1990s to acquire a stake in the national carrier but due to opposition from entrenched players in the airline business and political interference, it fizzled out.
