POP Crowdfunding - POP To India

POP Crowdfunding - POP To India

UK-based start-up airline People Over Profit (POP) is trying raise £8.9 million to operate flights to India.

In a highly unorthodox marketing and fundraising tactic, the airline is making some exciting promises in a bid to attract up-front launch investment from Indian communities in a crowd-funding campaign.

POP executives told aviation news outlet Runway Girl Network that they aim to wet lease a twin-aisle aircraft and begin operating daily direct flights between London’s Stansted Airport and the Indian cities of Gujarat and Amritsar in the northern state of Punjab. There is currently no direct link between these airports and the UK (which has a large Indian diaspora), so the airline thinks it can drum up plenty of support from folks looking to visit dearly missed family and friends.

To help get the crowd-funding it needs to start operations, POP made a brief television commercial of simple animation which touts the benefits of the membership-like “Gold Pass” , a crowdfunding offer providing exclusive benefits like a free return flight to India, meals, priority boarding, a free checked 23kg bag for five years and more. If 10,000 of these Gold Passes are purchased at £500 each, the airline says will begin service.

The Gold Pass T.V. spot has been airing on Gujarati channel in India and Sikh Channel in Birmingham (5,000,000 viewers and 1,000,000 Facebook followers ). Another way the airline has been getting attention, as reported by Conde Nast Traveler and other outlets is its claim that it will donate 50% of any future profits to selection of UK and Indian charities.