Regional airline FLY91 has begun commercial operations as it seeks to find a place in India’s growing, and competitive, aviation market. 

The company’s debut flight between Manohar International Airport in Goa and Kempegowda International in Bengaluru marked the beginning of its passenger flights which will initially fly between the two cities as well as Hyderabad and Sindhudurg. 

Manoj Chacko, managing director and CEO of FLY91, said: “We at FLY91 are incredibly proud to launch our inaugural commercial flight, symbolizing our commitment to connecting India in a way that has never been done before. 

“This inaugural flight is not just about reaching a destination; it's about taking flight with the dreams and aspirations of a nation.” 

Along with its initial destinations, FLY91 will also add services to Agatti, Jalgaon and Pune in April as part of its ambition to connecter tier 2 and tier 3 towns in the country, an area which the Indian Government has been pushing for investment into. 

The FLY91’s initial routes, flown with a fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft, have been assigned under the government’s UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme which looks to improve connections to regional airports in India with airline's encouraged to begin regularly scheduled flights. 

FLY91’s inaugural flights come shortly after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the inauguration of 12 new airport terminal projects while declaring that he wanted to support smaller cities with new air services.