GoAir (Mumbai International) is in early talks with regional Indian operators over possible cooperation that could see the LCC tap additional passenger traffic generated by the government's regional connectivity scheme (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik - UDAN).
“Maybe, we will team up with a regional carrier. There are some preliminary talks. They haven't reached a serious stage,“ GoAir's managing director Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told The Times of India.
Unveiled earlier this year, the UDAN aims to increase the penetration of air travel among India's working and middle classes by subsidizing flights to the country's 400+ underserved Tier II and III cities.
Alliance Air (India), Deccan Charters, Air Odisha, TruJet, and mainstream LCC SpiceJet were awarded routes during the first round of allocations held in March this year. Since then, IndiGo Airlines, India's largest carrier by fleet size and passenger throughput, has signaled its intention to compete in the next round of allocations ordering fifty ATR72-600s in May. SpiceJet recently since signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Bombardier Aerospace (BBA, Montréal Trudeau) for the order of up to fifty Dash 8-400s/Q400s.
However, unlike IndiGo and SpiceJet, Prock-Schauer says GoAir has no intention of diversifying its fleet with turboprop equipment. At present, it operates eighteen A320ceo and five A320neo.
"We won't take any risk," he said. "We will not go for a different fleet. Whatever we can do with Airbus A320, we will."
The Austrian added that GoAir may convert some of its 144 A320neos on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) into A321s.
"That is a possibility. We see quite a big asset in this aircraft... We can go for a bigger version, that is something we are looking at. But we have not taken a decision," he said.
It is recalled that the LCC was forced to defer its international debut this year citing delays in the delivery of its Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered A320neos.
