About a month ago, Air Kerala, the proposed low-cost airline from Kerala, made news. Now it’s Kerala-based Alhind Group’s plans of launching an airline with a fleet of ATRs and Airbus A320 planes for domestic and international operations respectively.

Alhind Group of Companies have been in the travel and tourism industry since 1990. Despite their beginnings in Kerala, the company now has offices and partners in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bangladesh and Kuwait, among others, serving a diverse clientele across the world. Tapping into their expertise in the field, the group aims to make the best of the booming air traffic between India and the Middle East.

The Alhind Group’s turnover is reported to be ₹20,000 crore, with its air ticketing business alone soaring more than ₹600 crore per month.

Betting on their sales network and a solid customer base, the company is confident of going international with 20 aircraft to begin with.

Security clearances to start an airline company are believed to be over. Once the final approvals including No Objection Certificate from the Civil Aviation Ministry and an Air Operator Certificate from the Director General of Civil Aviation come through, Alhind would join the fray in launching what could be another successful airline for travellers everywhere. – editor@nrifocus.com