Yuva JetLines Airways (Ranchi) has announced it has delayed its inaugural commercial service from November 2017 to June 2018. In a statement, the nascent Indian carrier said it would shortly apply to the Indian Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) to convert its Air Services Permit (ASP) from Non-Scheduled to Scheduled operations ahead of the start of certification.
As such, assuming all goes according to plan, YuvaJet's first revenue flight from Ranchi to Chennai via either Tirupati or Shirdi should take place during the first week of June 2018.
Yuvajet's founder Kumar Kinshuk said the start-up had abandoned plans to order ATR72-600s in favour of acquiring five E145s. A purchase agreement with an unspecified London-based asset management company will be signed by the first week of December 2017.
Once all relevant checks have been completed, the Embraer Regional Jets will undertake test flights from Ranchi during spring 2018 in anticipation of its AOP being awarded by the DGCA.
In terms of operations, Kumar said the ERJs will allow Yuvajet to extend its domestic reach in India and connect remote Tier II and III cities to major metropolitan cities such as Chennai and Delhi. Hubs will be established at both Ranchi and Surat with up to 40% of its route network to be "pioneer" city pairs.
