East-West Airlines (India)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Thakiyudeen Abdul Wahid |
| Defunct | 8 August 1996 |
| Headquarters | Mumbai , India |
Area served | Domestic India |
Key people | Thakiyudeen Abdul Wahid (Managing Director) |
| Products | Passenger air transport services |
East-West Airlines operated as a private carrier headquartered in Mumbai, India, throughout the 1990s, serving major domestic routes.
Inception and early operations
After the deregulation of Indian Civil Aviation in 1990-91, private operators were authorized to provide charter and non-scheduled flights under the ‘Air Taxi’ Scheme. East-West Airlines, with its base in Trivandrum, became the first private airline to operate nationally in India after nearly four decades.
The airline was founded by Thakiyudeen Abdul Wahid from Varkala in the Trivandrum district and launched services in early 1992 amid the government’s "open skies policy," which encouraged expansion in private air charter companies. It established branch offices across Trivandrum (in 1995), New Delhi, Madras (currently Chennai), and Mumbai.
Initially operating three Boeing 737-200 aircraft as required, East-West quickly grew its fleet to seven 737s by 1992, following a pilot strike at Indian Airlines, which prompted government appeals for increased capacity. In 1994, the Indian Government accorded scheduled domestic airline status to nine private air charter firms, including East-West.
Decline and closure
On 13 November 1995, managing director Thakiyudeen Wahid was fatally shot near the airline’s Mumbai office. The company owed $3.3 million to PLM Equipment, an American leasing firm providing three Boeing planes. PLM petitioned the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to deregister these aircraft and pursued legal action. Subsequently, the Delhi High Court mandated East-West to either settle payments or return the aircraft, resulting in all three planes being grounded.
By May 1996, due to a shortage of aircraft, East-West obtained DGCA approval to halt trunk route operations. By June, its services were confined to Mumbai and secondary destinations such as Calicut, Trivandrum, and Cochin.
East-West Airlines terminated all flight operations on 8 August 1996.
Destinations
India
- Trivandrum (Trivandrum International Airport)
- Ahmedabad (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport)
- Kolkata (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport)
- Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport)
- Bangalore (Bangalore Airport)
- Belgaum (Belgaum Airport)
- Mangalore (Mangalore Airport)
- New Delhi (New Delhi Airport)
- Goa (Goa Airport)
- Chennai (Chennai Airport)
- Madurai (Madurai Airport)
- Visakhapatnam
Fleet
East-West Airlines operated a total of eleven aircraft: eight leased Boeing 737-200 models alongside three Fokker F27 planes. Following cessation of services, the Boeing jets were returned to their lessors; two Fokker aircraft remained stored at Mumbai Airport until 2006 when they were sold by the AAI to recover unpaid parking and landing charges.
Accidents and incidents
On 1 July 1995, an East-West Airlines Fokker F27, bearing registration VT-EWE, suffered a failure of its left main landing gear during a touch-and-go training maneuver at Vadodara Airport. The airplane slid on its belly until coming to rest without any fire or injuries reported. Investigations attributed poor maintenance as a contributing cause, leading to the aircraft being written off.