Start-up carrier POP Airline has launched a “rewards-based crowdfunding campaign”, with the aim of launching flights between the UK and India.
Standing for “People Over Profit”, POP says it will give a minimum of 51 per cent of its profits to charitable causes in the communities it serves in both countries.
The carrier is initially targeting non-stop routes between London Stansted and two secondary Indian cities - Amritsar and Ahmedabad.
POP is aiming to raise £5 million to cover the airline’s first year of operations, and has opened a crowdfunding campaign at flypop.co.uk.
Donors can purchase POP Gold Passes for £500, with the first 10,000 benefiting from a free off-peak return ticket on a POP flight. In addition, they will receive the following benefits for the first five years when flying with POP:
- extra luggage (a third 23kg suitcase)
- free and unlimited ticket name changes
- priority check in/boarding
- extra leg room seats (when available)
- complimentary meals
- free wifi
- the earliest opportunity to purchase the lowest seat fares when released
The first 7,000 people to buy a Gold Pass will also see a name of their choice printed on the underside of a POP aircraft, which will collectively make up the POP logo.
POP says its vision to provide non-stop flights between the UK and secondary cities in the nations of the developing world will “meet the demand of the growing visiting friends and relatives market as well as the expanding leisure-tourism and business sectors, at the same time as improving the lives of the most disadvantaged in the communities that POP will be serving”.
The carrier aims to operate a 378-seat all economy Airbus A330 aircraft, with the launch of thrice-weekly flights to Amritsar and Ahmedabad “anticipated” for the fourth quarter of this year.
Air India will relaunch flights between Ahmedabad and New York in August, with a routing of Ahmedabad-Heathrow-New York Newark.
Mark Caswell
