The Hindu Business Line : Air Deccan subsidiary to start services from Colombo to India

Deccan Lanka, a subsidiary of Air Deccan, now plans to start operating flights between Colombo and points in India with the 48-seater ATR 42-320 aircraft.

"We will be shifting three ATR aircraft from India soon. We hope to be able to start operating regular flights to India. We will also look to start operating the Airbus A-320 aircraft that is bigger and can hold more passengers within 3-6 months of starting operations," a senior airline official told Business Line.

The Managing Director, Air Deccan, Capt G.R. Gopinath, is to lead a team to Colombo shortly to take stock of the situation there and finalise the launch date apart from other details, including the flight timings and the routes on which the airline would start the new service.While the airline plans to offer passengers a low-cost alternative of flying between Sri Lanka and India initially, it would also offer low-cost flights between Colombo and points in the Gulf and South-East Asia with the larger A-320 aircraft. The airline plans to provide regular flights with the A-320 between Colombo and Sharjah, apart from connecting Singapore and other cities in South-East Asia.

The airline is looking to connect Colombo to five cities here, including Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchi, Kochi, Madurai and Coimbatore.

Air Deccan holds 52 per cent of the equity in the new joint venture company, while the rest is held by two other entities — including a company floated by the son of former Sri Lankan politician, Mr Gamini Dissanaike.

The decision to set up the new company follows the Sri Lankan Government announcement of allowing airlines other than the national airline, SriLankan, to start operating regular international flights from Colombo.

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