There are literally dozens of Indian airlines that have either gone broke, or been taken over.
High operating costs, volatile fuel prices, thin margins, regulatory pressure, and fierce competition make aviation one of the toughest industries.
Over the past quarter century, nine Indian carriers have disappeared entirely including Air Sahara, Air Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Vistara.
That said, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation this week gave initial approval for two start-up airlines to compete with troubled market leader IndiGo and Air India.
It granted alHind Air and FlyExpress no-objection certificates, which is the initial step prior to securing a full air operator certificate, news hub Travel Mole reports.
Consumer groups and industry analysts have called for more market competition following the fallout of IndiGo's Scheduling woes over the past few weeks.
IndiGo has a dominant 65% share of the market. Air India is a distant second, with less than 30% share.
Regional startup alHind Air plans to start flying turboprop services in southern India while FlyExpress has not yet given any comprehensive details of its operational plans.
alHind says its will "begin its journey with a fleet of ATR 72- 600 model aircraft, initially focusing on providing efficient and reliable domestic air travel. With plans to expand its services to international destinations in the near future, alHindair aims to meet the growing demands of passengers and establish itself as a trusted name in the aviation sector".
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