MDLR Airlines plans expansion in Rajasthan

Gurgaon-based MDLR Airlines, part of the MDLR group, which is going to launch its air services six days a week between Delhi and Jaipur from October 15, is looking at expanding services in tourism destinations of Rajasthan.

Jaipur will be the sixth station on the MDLR network and would be operated by four engines Jet Aircraft BAE AVRO RJ-70 with six business class and 64 economy class configuration.

It currently operates in Delhi, Ranchi, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Jodhpur.

"We have a flight between Delhi and Jodhpur and we are now looking at expanding our services in Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Udaipur, to name a few," Nupur Mehta, vice-president, corporate affairs, told a Press conference here on Wednesday.

She said response to the Jodhpur sector has so far been very good.

"Currently our fleet comprises two aircraft and third aircraft will come by October end," she added. MDLR has recently purchased 2 helicopters, which are of latest technology and will be used as private charters.

Looking at the booming tourism sector, one helicopter will operate in Jaipur to provide helicharter services. Mehta said MDLR had applied to the Centre for the status of regional scheduled airlines as per the active consideration of Union Ministry Of Civil Aviation.

As part of the expansion plan, MDLR is planning to set up a state-of-the-art flying training academy to train its own pilots. Besides, the company also intends to introduce a heliport in Gurgaon, first-of-its-kind in India. It will be functional on the plan-build-operate mode, she said.

Giving a brief roundup about the company, Mehta said, "Buoyed by emerging opportunities in the aviation sector, MDLR forayed into airlines in 2006 and introduced a concept of regional- to- all- metro connectivity".