Hans Airways, hoping to serve secondary airports in India from the UK this fall, has begun its crew-hiring process. The airline announced Monday that it had entered into an agreement with a leading aviation recruitment firm to assist in the acquisition of cockpit crew needed for the carrier's Airbus A330s. Meanwhile, the carrier's proving flight has been scheduled for October.
Preparing for launch
UK startup Hans Airways is inching closer to beginning operations. Yesterday, August 23rd, the long-haul low-cost hopeful revealed that it had entered into a partnership agreement with flight crew leasing company Resource Group. The Swiss aviation recruitment firm will supply with crew and allow the airline to make progress towards acquiring its AOC.
“This recruitment agreement is a well-timed development as we prepare to launch our direct non-stop flights to India later in 2021,” Nathan Burkitt, Director of Flight Operations and Crew Training at Hans Airway, said in yesterday's statement.
“It will allow the leadership team to focus on our launch preparations while at the same time filling the essential flight crew roles that we need. Resource Group brings decades of invaluable experience in this field,” he continued.
Through its UK subsidiary ContractAir, Resource Group will work alongside the airline in hiring the Captains, First Officers, and Training Captains required to fly its planned fleet of A330-200s. Resource Group has also worked with other UK airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and easyJet.
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On an agreement roll
Hans Airways says it is committed to signing agreements with well-recognized third-party suppliers. Shortly before reaching an agreement with Resource Group, the airline said it had struck a deal with General Sales and Service Agent (GSSA) Air Logistics Group for cargo operations.
"Our business strategy from day one has been to work with market-leading suppliers and partners, like Air Logistics Group, allowing us to build the solid and robust foundations needed to succeed," Ian Davies, Chief Operating Officer at Hans Airways, commented at the time of the announcement.
Proving flight scheduled for October
The airline says its AOC application procedure is moving forward as expected. A proving flight is scheduled for October, and a launch date has been set internally. Hans Airways is hoping to serve secondary airports in India from the UK.
The airline's Airbus A330-200s will seat 281 people in a two-class configuration. However, operating on a low-cost model, there will be no business class segment. Rather, Hans Airways will have 73 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration and 208 regular economy with a 2-4-2 set-up.
What do you make of Hans Airways' plans for the fall? Is the market big enough for two low-cost startups to launch flights between the UK and India more or less at the same time? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think.