United Kingdoms startup airline flypop has recently signed a lease deal for multiple Airbus A330-300 aircraft with Avolon ahead of the planned launch of flights between the UK and India later this year, the airline has announced.

Based in Ireland, Avolon is the world’s third largest aircraft lessor. It provides leases and lease management services to airlines and airlines investors worldwide.

flypop mentioned that it has been in discussions with numerous leasing companies over the past few months, but stated that “Avolon offered the most competitive rate and a pipelines of aircraft into 2023.”

“We look forward to working with flypop on its exciting imminent launch of flights between the UK and India. We will work with flypop on its future growth strategy and expansion of routes and provide further aircraft as required,” said Martyn Lewis, Senior Vice-President of Marketing (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at Avolon.

According to the the airline’s CEO and Principal (Nino) Navdip Singh Judge, the lease deal had allowed flypop to hand in its AOC license application to the UK Civil Aviation Authority and is expected to comment its first flights by October.

For many years, flypop has been targeting two launch routes from London’s Stansted Airport to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Pakistan and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India with the hopes of catering to its target market the UK’s Indian/South Asian diaspora, as well as visiting friends and relatives.

An initial plan to launch flights last summer was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which sent the aviation industry crumbling. Currently, with increasing worldwide vaccination programs, the airline seems to be one step closer to its long-awaited launch with its AOC license application having been submitted.

Leasing the A330s

Although the number of aircrafts leased has not yet been disclosed, flypop already made intentions to configure the leased A330-300s into a one-class configuration with over 400 seats, resulting in an assumed 3-3-3 configuration instead of the traditional 2-4-2 configuration for this particular aircraft type. flypop also intends to keep airfares in a range between £350 and £750, including a checked bag and on-board meals for all passengers.

Navdip describes these intentions as creating “much needed economic benefits for both the UK and India.”

For its launch, flypop will use a single aircraft and plans to add an additional aircraft to its operations every six months, with Avolon working together with the airline “on its future growth strategy and expansion of routes and provide further aircraft as required”, according to Matryn.

Skepticism Before Launch

As the airline continues forward with its ambitions, many people have expressed their doubt towards a successful launch and whether or not the airline will eventually succeed.

Some felt that smaller UK airlines such as Atmosphere Intercontinental Airlines UK should have been given the support instead of a start-up, and others felt that flypop would follow along the long list of previous long-haul low-cost carriers which have failed.

Still, there are some rays of optimism as some users pointed out that flypop is targeting a specific niche market that could possibly work.

flypop senior operations advisor Charlie Clifton believes that the pandemic might have come at the right time for the carrier as its competitors were badly affected, having incurred a lot more debts than they were earning revenue. He also remains optimistic as “flypop’s cost of entry is much lower now than it would have been pre-Covid-19,” adding that “low fares always stimulates greater demand.”

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Charlotte Seet

Fascinated by aircraft from a very young age, Charlotte’s dream was to work alongside the big birds one day. Pursuing her dream, she went on to achieve her diploma in Aviation Management and is currently working on her degree in Aviation Business in Administration with a minor in Air Traffic Management. When she’s not busy with school assignments, you can find her aircraft spotting for long hours at the airport. In Charlotte’s heart, the Queen of the Skies will always be her favorite aircraft.

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