AIR DECCAN AIRLINE AT WIKIPEDIA
Air Deccan is an airline based in Bangalore, India. It was India's first low-cost carrier, connecting 32 cities within India. Its secondary Hub is at Chennai International Airport, Chennai. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deccan Aviation.

History

Air Deccan was established in 2003 and started operations in August that year with regular scheduled flights from Bangalore to Mangalore and Hubli. The following month, it opened a second hub at Chennai.

Air Deccan became the first private Indian operator to fly Airbus aircraft when it deployed the first of 5 leased Airbus A320s in July 2004. It was the first airline in India to link second rung cities like Hubli, Madurai and Visakhapatnam to metros like Bangalore and Chennai.

Growth and Expansion
Air Deccan has grown rapidly since it first started its air operations in 2003. The growing Indian economy and the increasing number of middle-class people in India has greatly helped its growth. On 25th Jan 2006, Air Deccan has filed a Red Herring prospectus with SEBI Securities and Exchange Bureau of India. Air Deccan plans to offload 25% of its stake in the IPO planned for late March or early April. 24.5 million equity shares of ten rupees each will be divested at a price to be announced later to raise Rs 1100-1320 Cr ($250-300 million) The proceed from the IPO will be used to set up a training centre in Bangalore and a maintenance facility in Chennai.

Competitors

Air Deccan's phenomenal growth spurred the entry of more than half a dozen low-cost air carriers in India. Air Deccan faces stiff competition from Kingfisher Airlines,SpiceJet and GoAir. The growth of these low-cost air carriers has also forced mainstream Indian airliners like Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Sahara to lower their fares. However, there is a lot of scope for the growth of the airline since the Indian air industry continues to remain largely under-penetrated.

Current Fleet

The Air Deccan fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March, 2006):

* 11 Airbus A320-200
* 5 ATR 42-320
* 9 ATR 42-500
* 5 ATR 72-212A

Total - 29 aircraft

Fleet Expansion

* The company has acquired a 30 Airbus A320s, which are to be deployed starting in 2007.

* The airline has also ordered 30 new ATR 72-500 aircraft (half to be leased), along with 3 second hand ATR 42-500s and 3 second hand ATR 72-500s. Deliveries will begin in May 2005 and be spread over a five year period with 6 to 8 aircraft delivered each year. As of June 2005, two of the 30 aircraft have been delivered.

* On January 3rd 2006, Air Deccan placed a further order of 30 Airbus A320 aircraft taking their total orders of A320s to 62.

* All 62 A320 aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce V2500 engines.

For telephone booking of Air Deccan tickets :

All India : 39 00 88 88

:: States Specific:

N E States 18004257008
J & K State 18004257008
Karnataka 9845777008

Chennai 9840377008
Delhi 9818177008
Kolkata 9831677008

Tamil Nadu 9894477008
Mumbai 9892577008
Andhra Pradesh 9849677008

Gujarat 9898377008
Maharashtra 9890477008

Official website:
Air Deccan :

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