Air Sahara plans to invest $20m in Hyd over 3 years

To induct 3 new Boeing aircraft; to set up call centre & aviation academy

Air Sahara is planning to invest $20 million in the next three years in Hyderabad. As part of its plans to make Hyderabad its international hub for aviation, Air Sahara will be inducting three new aircrafts, besides setting up a call centre and an aviation academy in the near future.

"We will be leasing three new Boeing aircraft by May next year, in order to bring our total seat capacity to 14,000 seats a day," Alok Sharma, executive vice president of Air Sahara, said at a press conference organised to announce its plans for operating 140 flights per week from February 3, 2005.

"The call centre for managing air traffic will be set up in about six months and is likely to employ about 200 people," Sharma said. The flight academy for aviation training will be operational in three years, he added.

"We may also outsource the services of our academy in the near future," Sharma said.

Air Sahara is also planning to increase its general sales agent (GSA) network for expanding its global reach. "Within the next 18 months we plan to add about 40 GSAs to our existing network of 22," Sharma said.

Rono Joy Dutta, president of Air Sahara, said that Hyderabad's geographical location and political environment have been the major reasons for being chosen as Air Sahara's hub. He added that Hyderabad would benefit from increased connectivity to other cities, reduction in travel time and increased employment opportunities.

"The travel time will reduce by 50 per cent because of interconnectivity," Dutta said. We will be employing about 500 people soon to meet our expansion plans, he added.