Domestic Airlines

In the recent past, Indian civil aviation sector has grown manifold. Several new players have entered the industry and many more are about to enter the arena. Apart from the state-owned airline, a number of private companies have entered the arena, thereby providing more choices to the passenger. Today, air travel is no more the monopoly of the rich and the mighty. With the arrival of cheap airline carriers in India, air traveling has become simpler and cheaper. Private players including Kingfisher Red, Spice Jet, Jetlite, Indigo etc. are coming up with attractive rates for their passengers, thereby making civil aviation lucrative.

Now, airline has become a common man�s vehicle and revolutionized the way a common Indian traveler used to travel. The airlines are adding more and more cities to their list of destinations covered throughout the country. Therefore, it can be said that the domestic airlines of India have made traveling easier for the masses. More and more people are opting for traveling by air, because they save a lot of time in traveling, as compared to other means of transportation. Here is a brief preview of domestic airlines in India. This includes private airlines as well as low cost airlines in India.

Air Deccan
Founded as Air Deccan on 25 August 2003, Kingfisher Red holds the distinction of being India's first low-cost airline. Its founder is Captain G R Gopinath. Soon after its conception, the airline started its regular air operations, with its flights scheduled to ply from Bangalore to Mangalore and Hubli.

Air India
With a worldwide network of passenger and cargo services, Air India continues to be India�s national Airline. The history of the airline can be traced back to October 15, 1932. Air India was earlier known as Tata Airlines. At the time of its inception, Tata Airlines consisted of one Puss Moth, one Leopard Moth, one palm-thatched shed, one whole time pilot, one part-time engineer and two apprentice-mechanics.

Air Sahara
Air Sahara is one of India�s leading private airlines. It is part of the multi-Crore 'Sahara India Pariwar' business conglomerate. Air Sahara was established on September 20, 1991. It began its operations on December 3, 1993, with a fleet of two Boeing 737-200 aircrafts. It was then known as Sahara Airlines.

GoAir Airlines
Established in June 2004, GoAir Airlines is a low-cost budget airline, based in Mumbai. It has been showcased as �The People's Airline�. It is promoted by Wadia Group, which has been at the forefront of industry in India, for the past 116 years. GoAir Airlines is the brainchild of Jeh Wadia, who is the Managing Director of GoAir.

Indian Airlines
Indian Airlines is India's premier airline. The fully state-owned airline is administered by Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. The airline came into existence in 1953, with the enactment of the Air Corporations Act 1953. Indian Airlines started its operation on August 1, 1953.

IndiGo Airline
IndiGo is the latest entrant to the domestic civil aviation space in India. Based in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, the low cost carrier took off its inaugural flight from Delhi to Imphal (via Guwahat), on August 4, 2006. InterGlobe Enterprises, a renowned travel corporation, is the owner of IndiGo.

Jagson Airline
Jagson Airlines is a private low-cost budget airline based in Delhi, India. In 1991, when the aviation sector was opened for the private sector, Jagson Airlines was the first private airline to avail of this opportunity. The airline commenced its operations in 1992. The airline is owned by Jagson International, the flagship of Jackson Group of Companies.

Jet Airways
Jet Airways is India�s premier private airline. Naresh Goyal is currently the chairperson of Jet Airways, who is also the founder of the airline. It holds the distinction of being the second largest airline in India, next to Kingfisher. Jet Airways has won a number of awards in recognition of the world-class standards of its service.

Jet Airways Konnect
Jet Airways Konnect is a low cost airline that serves as a division of Jet Airways, a leading private carrier in India. The air service was launched on May 8, 2009 and has the same airline designation as Jet Airways. It is headquartered in Mumbai and its primary hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Kingfisher Airline
Kingfisher Airlines is a private airline based in Bangalore, India. Currently, it holds the status of India's largest domestic airline, providing world-class facilities to its customers. Owned by Vijay Mallya of United Beverages Group, Kingfisher Airlines started its operations on May 9, 2005, with a fleet of 4 brand new Airbus - A320

Paramount Airways
Paramount Airways is a private domestic airline of India, based in Chennai. The airline was launched on October 19, 2005, by Paramount Group, a leading Indian textile manufacturer based in Madurai (Tamil Nadu). The headquarters of Paramount Airways is located in Coimbatore.

SpiceJet Airlines
SpiceJet is a low-cost airline of India, headquartered in New Delhi. The airline started its operations in May 2005, with an aim to become India�s most preferred low cost airline, by providing the lowest air fares and the highest consumer value to the price sensitive consumers of the country.

JetLite
Formerly known as Air Sahara, JetLite is an airline based in New Delhi, India. It is controlled by the Jet airways. The main base of JetLite is Indira Gandhi International Airport and its hubs are Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad and Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

Kingfisher Red
Kingfisher Red is a low-cost domestic airline in India, operated by one of the leading names in the civil aviation industry of the country - Kingfisher Airlines. Headquartered in Bangalore, India, Kingfisher Red was named as Simplifly Deccan and prior to that, as Air Deccan.

MDLR Airlines
MDLR Airlines is a recent entrant in the civil aviation industry of India. It is a low-cost domestic airline, founded and owned by Murli Dhar Lakh Ram (MDLR) Group, which has established its name in the field of real estate development in India. The Group has its business in commercial as well as residential real estate development.