India's Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd, doing business as Mehair (Mumbai International), has signed a letter of intent with Mallard Aircraft at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow to acquire fifty ME-1A amphibious aircraft. If firmed, it will be the dormant carrier's third order in twelve months.

The still-under-development ME-1A will allow operators to land and take off from land and water. The aircraft will be able to fly 650 kilometres fully loaded with 19 passengers, or just over 1,800 kilometres with ten passengers onboard, including typical airline reserves. Mallard co-founder and COO Mohan Chunduri recently told ch-aviation that the Maine-based manufacturer hopes to start deliveries in late 2027 or early 2028.

“Mehair is at the forefront of launching modern seaplane services in India and is moving rapidly towards a pan-India seaplane presence," said Chunduri this week. "We are happy to collaborate with Mehair with our ME-1A nineteen-passenger hull-based amphibious aircraft to support the growth of seaplanes in India."

The Mallard order caps a recent spate of aircraft orders by Mehair. In July 2023, it ordered fifty PHA-ZA 100s from Swiss manufacturer Jekta, with deliveries to begin in 2029. It reportedly paid deposits for the first ten. In February, Mehair ordered 100 VTOL Sirius Millennium Jets from Swiss start-up Sirius Aviation in a deal worth USD400 million. The order included 50 options. However, it was not stated if any deposits were paid at the time. In January 2024, Mehair placed a tentative order for up to twenty ZA600 hydrogen engines from ZeroAvia to convert its fleet of Cessna (single turboprop) 208s into zero-emission aircraft.

Mehair launched in 2011, but suspended flight operations in 2019. The pandemic delayed its restart. Earlier this year, Executive Director Siddharth Verma told ch-aviation that the restart was well advanced and that he was expecting twenty C208s by the end of 2025 before the still under development aircraft begin arriving. Mehair says it intends to operate a mix of conventional and amphibious flights and was recently awarded routes in the Indian government's UDAN programme. According to the press statement issued this week, Mehair is shooting aggregate revenues of USD100 million over the next four years.