Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip is set to acquire a minority stake of 49% in Indian charter carrier flybig (FLG, Indore), according to an announcement to the market.
This follows in-principle approval from the EaseMyTrip board for the acquisition of flybig (legal name Big Charter Pvt Ltd), marking the travel agency's first foray into India’s charter aviation sector, currently valued at USD650.5 million and projected to grow to USD1.14 billion by 2033.
The deal will allow EaseMyTrip to tap into high-margin sectors like charter services and non-scheduled operator permit (NSOP) operations following increased demand from corporate clients, high-net-worth individuals, and event travellers. For its part, flybig's existing operations will benefit from EaseMyTrip's "advanced" booking and pricing technology.
In the 2023-24 financial year, flybig generated INR1.2 billion rupees (USD14 million) in revenue, with significant growth potential as demand for regional and charter services continues to rise, the company said.
"This partnership is a crucial step toward making charter air travel more accessible across India," commented EaseMyTrip chairman and founder Nishant Pitti.
As ch-aviation has reported in recent months, Pitti has also continued to show interest in acquiring and reviving what is left of defunct Indian budget carrier Go First (Mumbai International).
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, flybig's fleet comprises four DHC-6-400s (one owned, the others leased), with one more on order.
Destinations served from its base at Indore include Nikolski, Azamgarh, Bathinda, Ghaziabad, Ludhiana, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad, and Shravasti.
