Having secured its Air Operators Permit (AOP) from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week, Air Carnival (Coimbatore) has now inaugurated revenue operations.

Using a single ATR72-500, on lease from Elix Aviation Capital, the start-up is currently plying regular Coimbatore-Chennai-Madurai return flights.

Promoter CMC group plans to inject a further USD7-12 million to fund the acquisition of a further two aircraft, reportedly also ATR - Avions de Transport Régional (EVX, Toulouse Blagnac) turboprops, with deliveries scheduled for September and October.

The additional capacity will allow Air Carnival to expand its footprint to include Bengaluru International, Tirupati, Hubli, and Thiruvananthapuram.