While headlines in Indian aviation tend to focus on IndiGo's dominance, Air India's transformation, or Akasa's growth, there's a smaller airline that's been quietly building something meaningful. FLY91, the Goa-headquartered regional carrier, has just completed two years of commercial operations — and the numbers tell an encouraging story.
The Numbers: Two Years In
Since its inaugural flight from Goa's Manohar International Airport to Bengaluru on 18 March 2024, FLY91 has carried 4,81,802 passengers across nearly 9,600 flights, logging over 12,800 flying hours. For an airline operating just a handful of ATR 72-600 turboprops, those are solid figures that point to genuine demand for the routes they're serving.
To put that in perspective: FLY91 carried 1.7 lakh passengers in its first year, then nearly tripled its cumulative total in year two. That kind of growth curve suggests the airline is finding its market.
What Makes FLY91 Different
FLY91 isn't trying to compete with IndiGo on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor. Instead, it's focused entirely on regional connectivity — linking India's tier-2 and tier-3 cities that have airports but limited or no regular air service.
The airline operates from two hubs: its home base at Manohar International Airport in Goa (Mopa) and a second hub in Hyderabad, added more recently. Its route network connects cities like Jalgaon, Sindhudurg, Pune, Bengaluru, and even Agatti in Lakshadweep — places where air travel was either unavailable or required multiple connections through metro cities.
Their busiest route? The Jalgaon–Pune corridor, driven largely by business travellers. Jalgaon, a city of over 6 lakh people in northern Maharashtra, had an airport since 1973 but no regular commercial flights for decades. FLY91 changed that.
The UDAN Connection
FLY91 has been a significant beneficiary of the government's UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) regional connectivity scheme, which provides viability gap funding to airlines operating on underserved routes. The airline was awarded 20 sectors under UDAN, and nearly half its seat capacity is currently UDAN-supported.
The airline's CEO, Manoj Chacko — a former Kingfisher Airlines executive with three decades in aviation — has been candid about the realities: not every subsidised route works out. His estimate is that 6 or 7 out of every 10 routes succeed commercially. The UDAN subsidy provides a three-year runway to test and build demand, but ultimately the routes need to sustain themselves.
What's Next for FLY91
The airline has announced plans to expand to several new destinations, and for travellers in Andhra Pradesh, there's particularly exciting news. Rajahmundry and Vijayawada are both on FLY91's upcoming route list, along with Hubballi, Nanded, Dabolim (South Goa), and Indore.
On the fleet side, FLY91 has moved from leasing to ownership — purchasing two ATR 72-600 aircraft in 2025, with two more arriving in early 2026. They've also signed an eight-year maintenance agreement with ATR, signalling long-term commitment. The plan is to grow to 30 aircraft across multiple hubs, connecting over 50 cities within five years.
Why Regional Aviation Matters
India has over 100 operational airports, but a large number of them see limited or no scheduled commercial flights. The gap between having an airport and having usable air connectivity is one that regional carriers like FLY91 are working to bridge.
For travellers in smaller cities, the impact is real. A business owner in Jalgaon no longer needs to drive 5+ hours to Pune or take an overnight train. A family in Sindhudurg can fly to Goa or Hyderabad directly. A tourist heading to Lakshadweep has a direct connection from Goa.
These aren't glamorous international routes, but they represent some of the most meaningful improvements in travel accessibility happening in India right now.
The Bottom Line
FLY91's two-year milestone is a quiet win for Indian aviation. In an industry where new airlines often flame out within a couple of years (remember Air Deccan's restart? Flybig?), FLY91's measured approach — disciplined expansion, cost focus, and a clear niche in regional connectivity — gives it a realistic shot at long-term survival.
As CEO Manoj Chacko puts it: "It's really about flying between point A and B and ensuring your cost structure stays below your revenue structure. The moment you forget the fundamentals, you fail."
For travellers in south and central India, FLY91 is one to watch — especially if you're in Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, or any of the other cities on their expansion roadmap.
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