NEW DELHI: Shankh Air, the next airline to kickstart operations in the country, plans to make its debut in the first quarter of 2026. It will focus on domestic operations initially and plans to go international before the end of the decade.
In an exclusive chat with The New Indian Express, Managing Director Shravan Kumar Vishwakarma expressed confidence about the financial position as well as operational capability of Shankh Air.
“We plan to operate five aircraft which we are purchasing from Bulgaria. Three Airbus A320 aircraft will reach us shortly and two A321 aircraft are expected to reach us by mid February. We are planning to begin the services in February 2026. However, if there is some delay due to paperwork formalities, it could get delayed a bit. By the first quarter of 2026, we will definitely be running our services,” he said.
The airline will first focus on operations inside Uttar Pradesh. Hastening to add that it cannot be treated as a small airline, he said, “We have Airbus aircraft with us. We also plan to cover Lucknow to Delhi and Lucknow to Mumbai. After stabilising our domestic operations, we plan to go international by 2029,” Vishwakarma said.
The MD said that it was fully funded by its parent company Shankh Trading. “We are on a sound footing financially. Our aircraft are on lease plus finance but they are being funded by external banks.”
Shankh Air has the requisite number of trained pilots at its disposal to start operations, he claimed. The airline will have its base in Noida and plans to have parking bays at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The airline will focus on bringing people who have never stepped into an aircraft to fly, he stressed. “We plan to stand out by offering excellent service. We are confident of drawing the public to travel with us,” he added.
The prices of the tickets will be at the lower end. “The target audience will be the middle class. We have no plans to hike our ticket fares,” Vishwakarma stressed.