Air Pegasus to launch services on April 12

Bengaluru-based Décor Aviation Private Ltd will launch services under the brand Air Pegasus to Thiruvananthapuram and Hubballi from Bengaluru from April 12. It will thus become the ninth carrier in the country and the third new airline to take to the Indian skies within a year. This follows the receipt of flying permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

It will also be the third airline to launch operations from Bengaluru, after Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines.

The airline will begin with two ATRs with 66 seats each, in its fleet. One more is scheduled (three aircraft) to come in the first week of April. The initial offer price on the tickets will be Rs 1,234 on the Bengaluru-Hubli sector. The airline aims to follow dynamic pricing, where those booking tickets at the ‘n’th hour will pay a much higher fare, said Shyson Thomas, MD of Air Pegasus.

Air Pegasus will be third airline taking to the skies after Air Asia and Vistara within a year. But, Air Pegasus is being launched as a regional airline.

“We have received an Air Operators Permit from the DGCA, and will launch our ticketing system on April 4, 2015 and operations by April 12, 2015. We have two ATR-72 aircraft in our fleet that is adequate for the three sectors we plan to start flights with,” Thomas added.

He added, the company aims to be a truly regional airline brand with more connectivity in the existing underserved regions and to connect non-connected sectors.

Based out of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Air Pegasus will offer flights to Thiruvananthapuram and Hubballi, and subsequently scale up to connect Kochi, Chennai, Tuticorin, Belgaum, Rajahmundry, Puducherry and Madurai. No two airports would be over two hours of each other, according to company sources, adding “hence, ATRs are the best fit for these operations.”

Promoted by ground-handling services provider Decor Aviation, it will see an initial investment of Rs 100 crore through a mix of internal resources and debt.

Decor Aviation, part of the Decor Group of Companies, provides ground handling services to Indian and foreign carriers across 11 airports in India.