For the time being, the announced FlyPop passenger flights between the United Kingdom and India will not work. Instead, Hifly Malta will use the Airbus A330 with the registration 9H-POP for the transport of cargo.

FlyPop announced on Thursday that it currently considers the use of the chartered aircraft as a preighter to be sensible, because the number of frequencies between the United Kingdom and India is limited on passenger flights due to the corona pandemic. Therefore one tries now to earn money on the cargo market.

However, there is also a different logic behind it: It is to be expected that it could become extremely tight in the current winter flight schedule due to the corona pandemic. According to reports, various governments are already examining stricter entry and quarantine regulations. There is a high probability that this will have an adverse effect on demand. From a business point of view, it would be extremely risky as a startup to fly into possible lockdown times.

On the other hand, you have a valid contract with Hifly Malta and the contractor can insist on the payment of the agreed charter rates. FlyPop is not an airline, but a company that charters aircraft and wants to market the seats for its own account. You bear the economic risk while the operational Hifly Malta receives a fixed amount per flight hour regardless of the occupancy. If there is no flight, the Maltese air carrier can insist on compensation.

So a solution has to be found that is sustainable for both sides. This was found with the implementation of cargo flights. Hifly Malta has previous experience and the fact that these are formally charter flights also makes approaching the UK easier.

Passenger flights should follow if the corona situation improves

“This is another important milestone in the Flypop journey as we launched the first of our four aircraft. We hope that our freight routes support global freight demand and help alleviate freight bottlenecks for the Christmas holidays and beyond, ”said Navdip Singh Judge, CEO of FlyPop.

The virtual airline plans to start its first passenger traffic between London Stansted and India as soon as the global pandemic situation becomes clearer. Several destinations are currently being considered in the Indian subcontinent including Amritsar, Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Chandigarh.

“We are looking forward to shipping freight with the flypop team at short notice and to flying Indian and South Asian diaspora passengers to the Second Cities of India in the long term. Supporting Flypop on its way from a start-up airline to a global player is very exciting for me personally and also for my Hi Fly team of widebody experts, ”explains Hifly President Paulo Mirpuri.