India’s Alliance Air is about to receive its first of two ATR 42-600s and plans to operate the aircraft in northern India.
Alliance Air will receive the first ATR 42-600 by the end of July and the other in September, Alliance Air CEO, Vineet Sood, tells India’s Business Standard newspaper.
It plans to launch ATR 42-600 services on 15 August linking New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to Shimla Airport and Kota Airport, he says.
Alliance Air previously launched a New Delhi–Shimla service in 2017 but then suspended it effective March 2020, reports Business Standard.
Shimla is the capital city of northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayan foothills.
Alliance Air’s new routes (Great Circle Mapper)
Alliance Air also plans to use the 50-seat ATR 42 to replace its 70-seat ATR 72 on routes linking New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to Kullu-Manali Airport and Dharamshala’s Kangra-Gaggal Airport, reports Business Standard.
Sood says the ATR 42-600 is more suitable for these high-elevation airports that have short runways. The smaller capacity ATR 42 has lower operating costs and fewer payload restrictions, making the ATR 42 services on these routes more profitable, he adds.
Kullu-Manali Airport and Kangra-Gaggal Airport are both located in the Himalayas (Great Circle Mapper)
Alliance Air serves 52 destinations and will be adding new flights in northeast India under the UDAN Regional Connectivity scheme, says Sood.
After the delivery of the second ATR 42, Alliance Air will have a fleet of more than 20 aircraft and will gradually start operations to neighbouring countries, he says.
It is unclear which neighbouring countries Sood is referring to, but northern India borders Nepal and Bhutan.
Alliance Air’s website shows it has two Indian-built Dornier 228s and 18 ATR 72-600s.
ATR announced in February that Alliance Air would be leasing the two ATR 42-600s from Dutch lessor TrueNoord.
Picture Source: ATR
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India’s Alliance Air Set To Launch New Routes With Dornier 228 Aircraft (7 April 2022)
India’s Alliance Air To Refurbish ATR Fleet (11 January 2022)
India’s Alliance Air Seeks To Lease Two ATR 42-600s (29 October 2021)
