Latest Startup Airline Airbahn Receives Its First Airbus A320
This year we have seen several new airlines in the US, including Avelo Airlines, Breeze Airways, and Aha!. Now, after years of preparation, a new Irvine, California-based airline is getting ready to launch its first flights.
Airbahn has received its first Airbus A320 this past week. The airline has been teasing its launch for months on its social media accounts.
Airbahn was founded in 2018 by aviation entrepreneur Tariq M. Chaudhary who is also the chief executive officer of Pakistan’s second-largest airline, Airblue, Business Insider reports. The new airline was initially preparing for a 2019 launch. However, amid a government shutdown and then the challenging conditions of the pandemic, plans had to be postponed.
The first routes are expected to be along the West Coast of the US to cities in Northern California, Nevada, and Western Canada from its hub at either John Wayne Airport in Orange County or Long Beach Airport, based on the application with the Department of Transportation.
Airbahn plans to fly a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft configured in a single-class cabin with 174 seats. I will serve mid-tier markets in a point-to-point network, similar to some of the newest startups in the US. The carrier is also looking to use Allegiant Air’s model with a schedule in which pilots are home every night.
