Gopinath to Launch New Airline

Five years after selling off his low-cost carrier Air Deccan, Capt GR Gopinath is set to make a comeback. He has secured a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry to start an airline.

Gopinath, the pioneer of the Indian low-cost airline revolution, said he could not comment. But Jayanth Pooviah, director and chief executive officer of Deccan Charters, confirmed the development.

“We applied and received the NOC two months ago. It’ll be something like Air Deccan,” said Pooviah, hinting that the proposed airline would follow a low-cost, no-frills model. He refused to elaborate further, saying only Gopinath could share the plan.

Gopinath founded Air Deccan in 2003 and introduced the no-frills concept in India. Within three years, Air Deccan became the number two airline by passengers flown. Vijay Mallya’s UB Group bought a 26 per cent stake in it in 2007 for Rs 550 crore and eventually completed a takeover after buying shares through an open offer.

Securing a NOC from the government is one of the steps required for starting a scheduled passenger service. An applicant has to submit project feasibility report, business plan, details of company ownership and types of aircraft to be used, among others. An operator can start scheduled passenger transport service with a plane, but is required to induct five planes within a year of securing the permit.