New airlines in 2020 (...yes, new airlines!)
Amidst the doom and gloom that this 2020 has brought to the commercial aviation industry, it is encouraging to see some airline entrepreneurs bold enough to launch new airlines in this environment.
And I am not talking here about airlines that had ceased operations and then, somehow, managed to find some capital or government support to bring them back from the brink (there is a dedicated post tracking these), but of new airlines that have announced they are starting up, pretty much out of the blue, this 2020.
I am sure there are plenty more airlines, but this end of the year a couple of projects caught my attention:
Flyr (Norway)
Little is known so far about this Norwegian startup, even if it promises to launch its first flights already in early 2021. Which type of aircraft will it operate? On which routes? Few things have been made public other than the fact that the executive team includes several former executives from Norwegian, the battered domestic rival that faces an increasingly uncertain future.
Lift (South Africa)
Started by experienced aviation professionals (its CEO founded South African LCC Kulula a few years ago), it seems the grounding of SAA has left a gap that must be filled, even if the product is not exactly the same. As a curiosity, its name was chosen in an open contest that received over 25,000 entries.
Ultra Air (Colombia)
This one has not been officially green-lighted at the time of writing these lines, but given that the founder, William Shaw, has a long history of successful airline startups (Viva Air, Green Africa Airways, Flycana, Flybondi, Interjet) it possibly won’t be long until it becomes operative, most likely in the new year. This new airline will follow the low cost model. It hasn’t figured out yet whether it will go with Boeing or Airbus, but outlines and initial fleet of 8 aircraft and 15 international and 29 domestic routes in Colombia.