Air Costa

Air Costa
IATA ICAO Callsign
LB LEP LECOSTA
Commenced operations 15 October 2013
Hubs
Fleet size 3
Destinations 8
Company slogan Happy Flying!
Parent company LEPL Group
Headquarters Vijayawada
Key people Ramesh Lingamaneni Chairman
LVS Rajasekhar MD
Vivek Choudhary CEO
Employees 800[1]
Website www.aircosta.in

Air Costa is an airline headquartered at Vijayawada, India. It is owned by Indian business company LEPL Group and has a 0.8% market share in the Indian domestic airline market as of February 2016. The airline commenced operations as a regional airline in October 2013 using two Embraer E-170 aircraft with the first flight taking off from its hub at Chennai on 16 October 2013. The airline got a permit for pan India operations in October 2016.

The airline focuses on connectivity between tier II and tier III cities in the country and has invested ₹600 crore (US$89 million) as of 2015. Air Costa operates 32 daily flights to nine destinations from its major hubs at Chennai and Vijayawada by 2015. The airline has a maintenance center at Chennai airport.

History

Air Costa is owned by Indian business company LEPL Group.[2] The airline received a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in February 2012.[3] The airline initially planned to start operations with a fleet of Q400 aircraft but later announced its decision to acquire Embraer Jets at the Paris Air Show in June 2013.[4] Air Costa received its Air Operators’ Permit (AOP) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in September 2013.[5]

The airline commenced operations as a regional airline in October 2013 using two Embraer E-170 aircraft with the first flight taking off from its hub at Chennai on 16 October 2013.[6][7][8][9] The airline focuses on connectivity between tier II and tier III cities in the country and has invested ₹600 crore (US$89 million) as of 2015.[2]

In September 2015, Air Costa, which holds a regional airline's license, applied to the aviation regulator DGCA for its license to be upgraded to that of a national airline.[10] Air Costa received a no-objection certificate from the civil aviation ministry for pan-India operations on 19 December 2015. [11][12][13] The airline had a 0.8% market share in the Indian domestic airline market as of February 2016.

Destinations

As of October 2015, Air Costa operates to eight destinations in India. The airline has a maintenance center and hub at Chennai airport.[2]

Country (State) City Airport Notes Ref
India (Andhra Pradesh) TirupatiTirupati Airport
India (Andhra Pradesh) VijayawadaVijayawada AirportHub
India (Andhra Pradesh) VisakhapatnamVisakhapatnam Airport
India (Gujarat) Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
India (Karnataka) BangaloreKempegowda International Airport
India (Rajasthan)JaipurJaipur International Airport
India (Tamil Nadu) ChennaiChennai International AirportHub
India (Telangana) HyderabadRajiv Gandhi International Airport

Fleet

Air Costa Embraer E-170
Air Costa Embraer E-190

The Air Costa fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2016):[14]

Air Costa Fleet[15]
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
J Y Total
Embraer E-190 3 — – 112 112
Embraer E190-E2 — 25 6 92 98 Deliveries starting 2018 and Asian Launch customer.[16]
Embraer E195-E2 — 25 12 106 118 Deliveries starting 2019 and Asian Launch customer.[16]
Total 3 50

Air Costa commenced operations in October 2013 with a pair of Embraer E-170 jets.[6] Two Embraer E-190s were added by September 2015.[17] Air Costa added one more E-190 in December 2015 and plans to add three to five E-190 aircraft in its fleet in 2016.[18]

New orders

Air Costa ordered 50 Embraer E-Jets E2 aircraft worth US$2.94 billion during the Singapore Airshow on 13 February 2014.[1][16] The airline will become the Asian launch customer for the type when it takes the first delivery in 2018.[19]

Awards and Achievements

Air Costa has won the following awards:

References

  1. 1 2 Rathor, Swati (25 March 2015). "Air Costa to add 2 E-190s in 2015". Times of India. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "LEPL to invest Rs 600 cr in Air Costa". Business Standard. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Air Costa to be launched soon". The Hindu. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "India's Air Costa Acquires three E-Jets". Embraer (Press release). June 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Air Costa gets DGCA permit". Business Standard. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Air Costa takes off to connect towns". Deccan Chronicle. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Air Costa takes off from Chennai today". The Hindu. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "First Air Costa flight flagged off by Kiran". New Indian Express. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Air Costa, India's newest airline, takes flight today". Business Today. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Regional airlines now pitch for a national licence". The Economic Times. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Sanjai, PR (19 December 2015). "Air Costa secures NoC for pan-India flights". Live Mint. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "India's domestic passenger demand up 25 percent: IATA". Business Standard. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "Air Costa receives a no-objection certificate". The Economic Times. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2016): 16.
  15. ↑ Narasimhan, TE (25 December 2015). "Air Costa gets aviation ministry approval for pan-India operations". Business Standard. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 "India's Air Costa places a firm order for 50 E-Jets E2s". Embraer (Press release). Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "Air Costa to add 2 E-190s in 2015". The Times of India. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Air Costa plans to raise funds through stake sale; to add three more Embraer aircraft". The Economic Times. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Embraer clinches bln India deal with Air Costa". Reuters. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2015.

External links

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