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| Founded | 20 January 1981 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1 April 1997 | ||||||
| Fleet size | 21 passenger aircraft 16 agricultural aircraft | ||||||
| Destinations | Northeastern India | ||||||
| Parent company | Indian Airlines Air India | ||||||
| Headquarters | Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi | ||||||
Vayudoot (Hindi: वायुदूत, romanized: Vāyudūt, lit. 'messenger who rides on the wind') was a regional airline in India established on 20 January 1981 as a joint venture between the two state-owned carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India.[1] The airline was headquartered at New Delhi's Safdarjung Airport. The airline was originally conceived to serve Northeast India.[2][3] The regional hub for the region was Calcutta and the airline flew to close to 30 destinations in this challenging area. Many of the airfields saw the resumption of commercial flights and fixed-wing aircraft after many decades of their absence.
The airline consistently lost money since its formation due to low occupancy. The government, struggling to find a solution to Vayudoot's continuing financial problems, considered both closure and privatisation as options as the carrier's route and fleet structure made the operation unprofitable.[4]
- ^ "World Airline Directory". Flight Global. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "Vayudoot's bitter pill". Flight Global. 22 April 1989. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Eighth Five Year Plan 1992–97, Vol-II". Department of Education, Government of India. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "Vayudoot and Indian to merge". Flight Global. 1 June 1993. Retrieved 4 September 2012.