It seems that Air Kerala, a long-pending dream of Malayalis to have a Kerala-based airline service, is set to begin operations with the Ministry of Civil Aviation reportedly granting an operational permission for the same.

The announcement came from proprietors of Dubai-based Setfly Aviation, an airline started by Malayali businessmen, at a press conference in Dubai. The expats informed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given permission to start domestic flight services. 

Setfly Aviation chairman Afi Ahmed and Vice Chairman Ayub Kallada said that initially three ATR 72-600 aircraft will be used for services, connecting Tier 2 and 3 cities to the Tier 1 cities in South India. It is expected to take eight to nine months for the services to start.

Last year, Air Kerala acquired the domain of Setflight Aviation by paying approximately Rs 2.2 crore. The proprietors also informed that Air Kerala will be converted into an international service in the future. The company will try to buy aircraft directly from manufacturers and start international services in future. They will operate under the brand name airkerala.com.

Aviation experts from Kerala will also be considered for the company, they informed. The company plans to expand its services to foreign countries by increasing the number of flights at least to 20. This is also a gift given to Malayalee diaspora. The company has nominated people for important posts including the CEO, they said. 

Related announcements will be made in due course. A representative of the company said that it is expected that more than 350 job opportunities will be created in the aviation sector in Kerala alone in the first year.