Air Costa (Vijayawada) plans to launch international operations once India repeals a law confining start-up airlines to operate domestically during their first five years of operations.
Vivek Choudhary, chief commercial officer and vice president of corporate finance of the airline's parent firm, LEPL Projects Ltd., told AINOnline that the LCC's expected fleet of fifty E190-E2s and E195-E2s would allow it to serve neighbouring Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
“We will also look at code shares with [international] carriers in future,” he said.
The recent announcement that its hub, Vijayawada, will become the new capital of the new state of Seemandhra has also been greeted with optimism given the likelihood that Vijayawada Airport will become an international facility in three years time. As such, the airline then plans to secure 30% of the international traffic into Hyderabad International (which will become capital of the new state of Telengana), which largely comprises Indian expatriates heading to Vijayawada.
At present, the airline flies four E-Jets - two E170s and two EMB-190s - to cities in southern India such as Bengaluru International, Chennai and Hyderabad International, as well as to key secondary cities in the North and Northwest of the country.
