India’s newest private airline Zoom Air is set to launch operations from February 15, PTI reported. Stating that the airline would prioritise areas that have not been focused on by its competitors, the company’s director Koustav M Dhar also announced that it would have a 1:1 ratio of female pilots on board. The carrier will be the twelfth operational domestic airline.

The Zexus Air Services-promoted carrier’s first flight took off from New Delhi to land at the Durgapur airport in West Bengal on February 12. “Zoom Air shall fill the gap of sectors that are less catered to by other scheduled airlines. We are termed a premium commuter airline, with on-board Zoom Eat – a styled snacks and beverages service; a new initiative to have 1:1 lady pilots on board – operating from Premium T3 in New Delhi and T2 in Mumbai,” Chief Executive Officer and Director of Zoom Air Koustav M Dhar said.

Zoom Air is also the first to connect India’s first private airport, Durgapur (Kazi Nazrul Islam International Airport) with Changi Airport, The Hindu BusinessLine reported. In its first phase of operations, the Gurugram-based airline will connect Delhi with Amritsar, Surat and Bhavnagar.

Zoom Air flights will connect Delhi and Kolkata to Tirupati, Vijaywada, Mumbai, Shillong, Aizawl, Pasighat and Ziro (in Arunachal Pradesh), Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Indore and Bhopal, with a minimum of one trip daily. The airline secured its scheduled operator’s permit earlier this month.

“We envisage a 18-20% year on growth on such undeserved and un-served airports. It is all about connectivity and regular reliable services,” Dhar said.