Kerala to Launch its First Own Airline

Wednesday, 1st August 2012 at 03:04am

ir Kerala will become an addition to the growing airline business in India despite its ailing aviation industry. It will also become the first airline to be based in the state of Kerala. The formal launch of the new carrier is expected to happen in Cochin in September this year during the upcoming investment meeting there.

The Dubai-based Yousuff Ali MA, managing director of EMKE Group, will lead the creation of the new airline along with investors from the Gulf as well as the local government of Kerala. Gulf investors are mostly Indians who have lived and become citizens in the Gulf states. The EMKE Group, which is one of the largest business conglomerates in the Middle East, is headquartered in Dubai. It is the operator of Lulu Hypermarket, the Gulf's largest hypermarket chain.

Yousuff Ali used to be a member of the board of Air India but resigned. He clarified, however, that he has no any plans to occupy any position in a newly-formed airline. He reiterated that any position in the airline doesn't interest him and made known that it's not even important to him. Launching the airline and see the airline serving the large population of Non-resident Indians in the Gulf is more important to him.

The primary reasons of Yousuff Ali's resignation from the Air India Board was triggered by the perennial problems and the perpetual difficulties experienced by most NRIs in the region with regards to the ever increasing cost of air tickets which he deemed unjustifiable. The irregular air services between India and the region were also another factor he considered when he resigned from the board.

He revealed that he tried to do his best in his capacity as member of the board to bring change to the airline but somehow he felt frustrated and distressed about not being able to help his fellow Indians suffering from delayed services as well as frequent flight cancellations to the region.

He maintained that he will work hard to help find a better way to solve the nagging problems faced by Indian travelers who work in the Gulf states. One thing that he has been looking at to address the issues is to form a new airline. Thus the revival of Air Kerala was brought back to the discussion table. The proposal of creating an airline that will serve Kerala state and its overseas workers in the Gulf was hatched five years earlier. This time, however, he is in the best position to promote the newly-formed airline as he is now out of the board of the competing airline.

He will formally announce the new airline during the investment meeting in Kerala in September this year which is expected to be attended by many businessmen from all over India as well as foreign investors. The inaugural event. aptly called 'Emerging Kerala' will be attended by no less than Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

By: Pete Lee.