Centre clears revival of TruJet; aiming for November take off as full-fledged airline, says MD

Apart from A320 planes, TruJet plans to induct ATR turboprop aircraft to participate in the centre’s regional connectivity UDAN scheme.
| Photo Credit:
SRIRAM MA

The Centre has given its nod to revive TruJet (formerly Turbo Megha Airways) as a national-level scheduled operator to cater to the growing demand for air transport in the country, sources told businessline.

The regional low-cost airline was operational between 2015 and 2022. It was headquartered at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.

It halted operations in February 2022 due to the financial crisis triggered by the Covid pandemic.

When contacted, Umesh Vankayalapati, the Managing Director of TruJet, confirmed the development.

“We had approached the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to revive the TruJet brand. After extensive discussions and presentations made to MoCA officials, the Centre has finally granted us the NoC,” Vankayalapati told businessline.

“Now we are required to renew the AoP (Air Operators Permit) from the DGCA (Directorate-General of Civil Aviation). The AoP renewal is expected to take up to 180 days.”

Notably, this time around, the airline has received approval to operate as a full-fledged domestic airline.

In 2014, TruJet had received approval to operate as a ‘Scheduled Air Transport (Regional) Services’ provider.

According to Vankayalapati, after the receipt of AoP, the airline can restart operations with an Airbus A320 aircraft.

“Visakhapatnam will be our hub airport for the narrow-body A320 aircraft,” he said.

“We are targeting to launch the first flight by November. It will be from Visakhapatnam to either Delhi, Mumbai, Bengalurur, and Hyderabad. Preparations are on in full steam from our end.”

ATR for UDAN routes

Apart from A320 planes, TruJet plans to induct ATR turboprop aircraft to participate in the centre’s regional connectivity UDAN scheme.

“We plan to base ATRs out of Lucknow airport. There is massive scope for growth in regional aviation in this region,” Vankayalapati said.

“The plan is to introduce ATR aircraft after routes are allocated to us under the UDAN scheme.”

Additionally, Vankayalapati claimed to have financial backing from a set of new investors.

“The airline plans to initially invest about ₹200 crore and hire some 600 people,” Vankayalapati said, adding that the industry has lately attracted players due to its high growth rate.

Nonetheless, heavy taxation still hinders many from entering this industry, he said.

Trujet is a subsidiary of Turbo Aviation, an aircraft maintenance and ground-handling services company based in Hyderabad.

Before shutting operations, the airline had identified 18 tier-II cities in southern India as prospective destinations in its regional network.

“We see tremendous prospects for growth in India’s regional and national markets. India’s aviation sector’s growth has just begun,” he added.

On a sequential basis, the passenger traffic had grown by over 8 per cent in March 2025 to around 1.45 crore.

Published on June 11, 2025