Vayudoot
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| Founded | 20 January 1981 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1 April 1997 | ||||||
| Fleet size | 21 passenger aircraft 16 agricultural aircraft |
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| Destinations | Northeastern India | ||||||
| Parent company |
Indian Airlines Air India |
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| Headquarters | Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi | ||||||
Vayudoot ("messenger who rides on the wind") was a regional airline in India established on 20 January 1981 as a joint-venture between the two state-owned carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India. The airline was headquartered at New Delhi's Safdarjung Airport.
The airline was originally conceived to serve the Northeastern region of India where the surface transport facilities were inadequate and surface routes were circuitous. The regional hub for the Northeast Region was Calcutta (Kolkata) and the airline built up operations to close to 30 destinations in this challenging area. Many of the airfields saw the resumption civil flights and fixed-wing aircraft after a gap of many decades.
The airline consistently lost money since its formation. The Government, struggling to find a solution to Vayudoot's continuing financial problems, considered closure and privatisation as options as the carrier's route and fleet structure made the operation unprofitable.
In the late 1970s, the Government of India and its two airlines became aware of the increasing number of potential air travellers in many small towns around the nation. Vayudoot was started to expand India's domestic air transport network on a very large scale, with a completely new network designed to feed Indian Airlines' network at state capitals and other big cities. hence all Vayudoot destinations (apart from its hubs) were completely new, not covered by existing Indian Airlines services.
Vayudoot began operations on January 26, 1981, India's Republic Day, in the remote north-east of the country, linking towns in states such as Assam, Manipur and Tripura. A journey such as one from Lilabari (North Lakhimpur) in Assam state to Ziro in the neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh could take a few days during inclement weather, braving hazards such as avalanches in the hills and flooding in lower lying areas. The flight, on the other hand was as short as 12 minutes, though weather could cause disruptions because this was flying where visual contact had to be maintained with the ground/terrain in the absence of reliable aids for navigation. The weather caused poor visibility on account of heavy rains and low clouds and/or fog and could at times result in waterlogged runways. Many runways were unpaved or dirt strips and facilities at these airports were very limited.
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