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Airlines of the past-East West Airlines
- Maanav Parikh
- Jan 27
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 3
If I were to ask you what the first private airline was in India, what would your answer be? When posed with this question, many individuals would instinctively respond with Jet Airways, given its prominence and reputation as one of the oldest and most well-known private airlines in the Indian aviation sector. But, that is far from the right answer. The airline was a dream come true for 3 Kerelite brothers wanting to do good and serve their community. This airline was East-West Airlines, the first private airline in India, which met an untimely and tragic end.
Humble Beginnings
The story of East-West Airlines begins in Mumbai when 3 Kerelite brothers, The Wahid brothers, run a travel agency in their soon-to-be airline's name. You see, around that time there was a large influx of Malyalis into the Gulf countries, and with the large immigration came several scam travel agencies, which scammed innocent Malyalis who were trying to make a living in the Gulf. This travel agency of the Wahid brothers came as a boon for Malayalis as they wanted nothing but to help their fellow Mallu brothers. However, things changed in 1991 when the Government of India issued the open skies policy in the Indian aviation sector allowing private players to operate as Air Taxis. Seeing this prospect and to serve their motherland better, the Wahid brothers decided to foray into the Aviation sector alas being granted the Air Operators Certificate in 1992 for their brainchild, East West Airlines.
Takeoff
The airline began its operations in 1992 initially flying between Mumbai and Kochi, two significant places for the Wahid brothers. Initially beginning operations with 3 737s, the company added a few more 737s soon after to fill up for the void the Indian Airlines pilot strike had left. Interestingly, this flight was timed accordingly to connect passengers traveling from the Gulf to Kerela via Mumbai which happened to be the gateway of International flights at that time.
The company soon also added the Fokker F27 for its regional flights and significantly expanded its operations to other major cities mostly focusing on connecting major cities in India.
Alas, The airline was granted domestic airline status in 1994 along with other major players of the time. In an aviation scene that can be best described as the Wild Wild West, East West soared. East West was very well known for its quality of service and especially its on-time performance. East West also used to employ much younger employees which made the work environment fun and lively.
Tragedy
A year after being granted status as a domestic airline, Tragedy struck the airline. After the untimely and tragic death of one of the owners, things would go for a tailspin. The financial situation of the airline would worsen coupled with the slightly inexperienced leadership in the management. This all would culminate in the airline ceasing operations in 1997, bringing an untimely end to India's first private airline.
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