U.S. Charter Group Fly Alliance Set To Expand in India

U.S. aircraft management and charter group Fly Alliance is preparing to enter the Indian market with an initial $12 million investment. According to CEO Kevin Wargo, the company will start operations in fourth-quarter 2027 with an Embraer Legacy 600 as the first step in a plan to base 10 aircraft in the country over the next 18 months.

Fly Alliance has also opened an office in New Delhi to support aircraft owners. Speaking at the recent Corporate Jet Investor conference in India, Wargo said the company will also provide charter flights and maintenance services under a new local brand to be announced soon.

India’s civil aviation regulator has already cleared Fly Alliance as a foreign approved maintenance organization with authority to work on Bombardier Globals, Cessna Citations, and Hawkers. The company is now finalizing a partnership with a number of Indian maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers.

Wargo commented that current Indian restrictions on imported aircraft limit available inventory and choice for customers. The country only allows pressurized business aircraft aged up to 18 years to be imported, and proposals have been made to raise this limit to 20 years.

“Although fractional ownership has worked well in the U.S., we will not pursue it in India,” Wargo explained. In the U.S., the company offers jet card arrangements for customers wanting better pricing for blocks of flight hours.

Florida-based Fly Alliance already has an office in Dubai, where it brokers charter flights. The company is also looking to base aircraft in the UAE.