Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian businessman is planning to launch new Indian airline— Air Kerala catering to expatriates, local media reported.
Afi Ahmed, managing director of UAE-based Smart Travels, is currently exploring different strategies to turn the Air Kerala project into a reality.
In March 2023, Afi Ahmed paid local company 1 million Dirhams (Rs 2,23,26,532) for the airkerala.com domain name.
Air Kerala had been a project that was announced by the Kerala government in 2005 and was registered as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in 2006.
As per a report by Khaleej Times, it aims to provide a relief to Keralites living in the UAE against skyrocketing ticket prices and shortage of airline seats.
Air Kerala project has been suspended several times, despite being a hotly debated topic for years.
The domain name airkerala.com was initially purchased in 2000 by domain sales portal Executive Bachelors.com, a subsidiary of UAE-based investment company 1971.
In 2005, the site’s estimated value was around 2.5 million Dirhams. Although numerous parties have expressed interest in the domain since then, this is the first time Executive Bachelors.com has sold the coveted domain name.
“I was looking for a domain for my B2C project,” Afi Ahmed told Khaleej Times.
Since announcing his intention to revive the airline, Aafi said, he has seen an outpouring of support from the Malayali community in the UAE.
“Several businessmen have approached me and pledged to contribute money to get the project running,” he added.
