The plan is for Himalaya Jet, a company set up by the Gurung family, who co-own the Miss World contest, to start flights later this year, possibly in September. Travel Trade Gazette reports the fledgling airline has an office at London Heathrow's Terminal 2 and another potential destination is Sydney, Australia.
Gary Noakes at TTG writes that this proposed carrier follows hot on the heels of two other Indian start-up airlines, Flypop which will fly from London Stansted and has already sorted out its first aircraft and Hans Airways, which intends to operate between Birmingham and Amritsar.
Other possible destinations listed on Himalaya Jet website include New York, Washington DC, Toronto, Zurich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome and Vienna. The new carrier aims to connect selected cities in Asia, Europe and North America with point-to-point premium long-haul full-service direct flights. It claims the services between operational cities will both save time and be an estimated 30% cheaper than other airlines.
If the plans come to fruition, the airline hopes to have a fleet of around 18 aircraft by the end of its third year, according to aviationa2z and although Himalaya Jet is set to start with Boeing 787 jets, it is also in talks to lease Airbus aircraft, possibly A330 or A350 jets from aircraft leasing companies.
This could be an exciting time for fresh start-ups to shake the aviation industry, which is already climbing to near pre-pandemic levels of traffic and more people expressing desires to travel more widely than before.
Although, starting a new airline is never easy, just ask Richard Branson. However, Himalaya Jet is not alone, according to various reports, the company is getting support from the StartupBoeing team from the US manufacturer. The StartupBoeing team assists entrepreneurs in launching new airlines. From concept through launch, StartupBoeing offers guidance, review, analysis, data, resources, contacts, and referrals to qualified startup airlines.