Air India Considers ATRs for Regional Flights

Air India's Regional Routes to Utilize ATRs

As reported by Mint, Air India is considering expanding its services to include more regional routes within India. The airline is currently in internal discussions regarding the possibility of increasing the number of flights between major Indian cities and smaller tier two and three cities and introducing point-to-point flights between various smaller cities.

An anonymous Air India official stated, "Discussions have taken place on this matter. These are internal discussions; further assessments will be conducted before a final decision is reached. There is a clear opportunity in the regional aviation sector, and our goal is to offer a comprehensive travel solution to Indian travellers."

Previously, Air India's subsidiary, Alliance Air, operated regional domestic routes while the parent company focused on trunk and international operations. However, with Air India's ownership transfer to Tata Sons in early 2022, Alliance Air remained under government control, leaving Air India without a substantial regional network. The Indian government's Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, which includes subsidies for airlines to operate certain-sized aircraft on underserved and unserved regional routes, has made the regional aviation sector more financially appealing to various operators.

The official mentioned that operating ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprops is one of the options being considered by the Air India Group with great interest. While Air India's largest local competitor, IndiGo, has an extensive regional network and relies on a fleet of forty-five ATR72-600s for its regional operations, Air India does not currently operate any turboprop aircraft. SpiceJet also has regional operations with twenty-four DHC-8-Q400s tasked for regional flights, though 18 of those aircraft are currently inactive. Additionally, start-ups like Star Air, Fly91, and Flybig have recently entered the regional aviation space with smaller fleets and varying degrees of success.