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Indian regional carrier Star Air is planning an ambitious expansion program that will see its fleet grow from nine aircraft today to 25 by the end of 2027.
The Bengaluru-based airline is benefiting from India’s government-subsidized UDAN scheme—a Hindi acronym that translates roughly as “Let the ordinary people fly”—designed to open up services linking secondary- and tertiary-level airports to each other and to major hubs.
Several hundred routes have been established between unserved and underserved airports around the country.
Star Air currently has a fleet of five Embraer ERJ145s and four E175s. The company plans to induct two new E175s in its current fiscal 2025, with an additional four scheduled for fiscal 2026.
The new E175s will allow the company to increase deployed capacity and operate more efficiently on existing and new routes, “strengthening the airline’s ability to offer enhanced connectivity across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India,” Star Air said in a statement.
“The addition of these new Embraer E175 aircraft marks a pivotal step in our journey,” CEO Simran Tiwana said. “As we expand our fleet to 25 aircraft, we reaffirm our commitment to reaching more underserved markets and setting new standards in air travel. Each milestone in this expansion brings us closer to connecting more of Real India, offering fast, efficient, and high-quality flying experiences for our passengers.”
“We’re trying to get as many E175s as possible, but not too many are available in the market,” Star Air marketing, customer experience and corporate communications manager Sandeep Suresh told Aviation Week. Eventually, the airline is likely to start looking at the larger E190 model, he said.
Since it began operations in 2019, Star Air has flown 1.3 million passengers; the airline has a 22-point route network, which is scheduled to increase to 24 in the next month.
“We will be expanding quite a bit with the two new aircraft,” Suresh added. The new additions will allow Star Air to expand for the first time into areas of eastern India.
The airline is the aviation arm of the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, an Indian conglomerate with a presence in sectors such as energy, mining, realty and textiles.
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