FlyPop has become the latest low-cost Air Carrier to have finalised a UK Airport base to operate out of, in this case, London Stansted Airport. Indeed, the UK startup Air Carrier has aspirations to fly long haul, with initial focus on routes to secondary Airports in India.
Consequently, FlyPop believe that the demand for direct flights to such Indian cities will be the epicentre of their customer travel demands. These sentiments are echoed by FlyPop’s CEO, Navdip Singh Judge. He said, “London Stansted Airport has a history of being the base for low-cost carriers and we feel it is the perfect fit for our passengers. FlyPop is focused on serving the Indian and South Asian diaspora communities living in the UK and their visiting friends and relatives, for whom London Stansted is the most convenient Airport location.”
FlyPop Keen To Pop Open Its Aircraft Doors ASAP
FlyPop intends to offer return fares from London Stansted to Indian Cities for as low as £99! Navdip Singh Judge explained the mechanics of how offering two-figure fares can still be profitable and challenged other competitors to see if they can match it:
He said, “Yields are funny terms, aren’t they? Yields are the difference between CASK [cost per available seat kilometre] and RASK [revenue per available seat kilometre]. So, we want to have our CASK so low that the yield will end up being quite healthy. That’s the art of yield management. We are going to start flights at £99, so if anybody wants to beat us with that, let them try it.”
FlyPop intends to use the wide body Airbus (A330-300) Aircraft to operate flights between the UK and India. The launch date of flights between the destinations is to be confirmed and very much subject to Covid-19 restrictions relaxing. Indeed, India remains on the UK’s red list of countries, thereby meaning tourists from the UK cannot travel to India, and any UK citizens returning from India are subject to strict quarantine rules. Furthermore, on FlyPop’s website, under the FAQs section, it reflects such uncertainty, stating that: “Subject to Covid-19 restrictions, we look forward to welcoming you onboard later this year.”
As and when they can launch operations, FlyPop is expected to fly routes from London Stansted to Amritsar and Ahmedabad, with Kolkata and Goa to follow shortly thereafter.
FlyPop is continuing to negotiate deals with other secondary Airports in India, with the anticipation of hopefully starting operations before the end of the year.
What are your thoughts on FlyPop and its endeavours? Let us know below!
