Mehair to Expand Fleet with Mallard ME-1A Purchase

Mallard ME-1As Fly into Mehair's Fleet

India's Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd, operating as Mehair, has signed a letter of intent with Mallard Aircraft during the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow to acquire fifty ME-1A amphibious aircraft. This marks the dormant carrier's third order in the last twelve months.

The ME-1A, which is still under development, will enable operators to land and take off from both land and water. When fully loaded, the aircraft has a range of 650 kilometres with 19 passengers or just over 1,800 kilometres with 10 passengers, including typical airline reserves. Mallard's COO, Mohan Chunduri, mentioned that the Maine-based manufacturer aims to commence deliveries in late 2027 or early 2028.

Chunduri stated, "Mehair is at the forefront of launching modern seaplane services in India and is rapidly moving towards a pan-India seaplane presence. We are pleased to collaborate with Mehair on our ME-1A nineteen-passenger hull-based amphibious aircraft to support the growth of seaplanes in India."

This order from Mallard is the latest in a series of aircraft orders by Mehair. In July 2023, the company ordered fifty PHA-ZA 100s from Swiss manufacturer Jekta, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2029. Mehair reportedly paid deposits for the first ten aircraft. In February, Mehair ordered 100 VTOL Sirius Millennium Jets from Swiss start-up Sirius Aviation in a deal worth USD400 million, including 50 options. However, whether any deposits had been paid then was not stated. In January 2024, Mehair placed a tentative order for up to twenty ZA600 hydrogen engines from ZeroAvia to convert its fleet of Cessna 208s into zero-emission aircraft.

Mehair was established in 2011 but suspended flight operations in 2019. The restart was delayed due to the pandemic. Earlier this year, Executive Director Siddharth Verma told Ch-aviation that the restart was well advanced, with expectations of receiving twenty C208s by the end of 2025 before the arrival of the still-under-development aircraft. Mehair plans to operate a combination of conventional and amphibious flights and has recently been awarded routes in the Indian government's UDAN program. According to the press statement issued this week, Mehair aims to achieve aggregate revenues of USD100 million over the next four years.