India’s newest airline Air Kerala begins hiring ahead of Q2-2025 launch

Dubai: India’s newest low-cost airline, Air Kerala, has initiated a massive recruitment drive ahead of its launch in the second quarter of 2025, the airline’s chairman, Afi Ahmad, announced Monday.

While technical and operational teams are being hired within India, commercial staff recruitment, including sales and marketing roles, is being conducted in the UAE. “We aim to onboard our commercial staff from the UAE, focusing on positions in sales and marketing,” explained Ahmad. “Pilot and cabin crew recruitment have also begun. The chief pilot and pilot trainers have also been hired,” explained Ahmad.

In October, the airline hired Captain CS Randhawa, the president of the Indian Pilots Federation, as the new Vice President of Operations and Captain Ashutosh Vashishth, a prominent post holder in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), as Vice President of security.

Harish Kutty, CEO of Air Kerala, said, “We are focused on recruiting pilots and pilot training crew from India as they are well aware of Indian regulations. We can recruit foreign trainers; however, we feel it is better to have Indians for now.”

The airline is still awaiting its air operator certificate (AOC) - a certificate that allows an operator to perform specific operations of commercial air transport – from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “We are expecting to receive it ahead of our launch during Q2-2025. As soon as we receive the AOC, we will begin operations,” explained Ahmad.

Zetfly Aviation, the parent company of Air Kerala, secured a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from India’s civil aviation ministry in July 2024. The airline plans to commence domestic operations from Kochi to Tier II and Tier III cities in the second quarter of 2025, with international flights to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to follow.

The carrier hopes to launch its maiden flight from Kochi International Airport and has signed the Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire the first three aircraft from ATR, a Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer. Air Kerala, which plans to launch international operations in the UAE in 2026, will consider narrow-body jets ahead of its international debut.

“For now, we have three aircraft. We will consider getting narrow-body jets once we have 15-17 aircraft for our domestic operations. Acquiring narrow bodies does not mean that we would stop acquiring ATRs. We will be acquiring both varieties of aircraft parallelly,” Kutty explained.

Commenting on available vacancies, Kutty said, “We have acquired three aircraft which would need 12 sets of operating crews.” Ahmad also said that the carrier is offering competitive salaries to new recruits, which aligns with market standards.

Commenting on the safety standards of the ATR-72 - a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner - while operating in turbulent weather conditions, Kutty said, "The ATRs are not a new aircraft in India. Several Indian carriers, including IndiGo and Fly91 own a fleet of these aircraft. It is a proven aircraft in tough weather with excellent safety standards."

Kutty also said the airline's fares would remain competitive. “Our prime focus will be to convert luxury bus and second-class AC train passengers in India to flight passengers,” he added.

On Monday, the airline formally partnered with Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

As part of its initial operations, officials said Air Kerala will have a substantial number of departures from Kannur to nearby domestic destinations within a flying range of one and a half hours, said Ahmad. With the commencement of international operations, Air Kerala will connect more international destinations to Kannur, said Ahmad.

KIAL’s Managing Director, Dinesh Kumar, said, “This collaboration with Air Kerala highlights Kannur Airport’s role as a vital gateway for travellers. We are committed to providing all the resources and support needed for Air Kerala to succeed and grow.”