| Airline: | Elbee Airlines |
| Fleet Size: | 3 |
| Iata: | LBE |
| Icao: | - |
| Callsign: | - |
| Parent: | Elbee Services |
| Founded: | 1994 |
| Commenced: | 1995 |
| Ceased: | 1 July 1998[1] |
| Headquarters: | Mumbai, India |
Elbee Airlines was India's first all-cargo airline based in Mumbai, India.[2] Elbee Airlines was started as a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbee Services, one of India's largest express logistics company that itself closed down in 2002.[3] It operated domestic cargo services until July 1998. It became operational in June 1995 having acquired an air-taxi-operator's certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to operate four Fokkers on domestic routes.[2] The Airline planned a 57 million dollar fleet renewal in 1996, by bringing in three Boeing 727 and three McDonnell Douglas DC-10 freighters to add to its three Fokker F27s.[4] However, after its freighter Fokker 27 crashed in 1997, business never returned to normalcy and the airline ceased operations by July 1998.
Elbee operated freight services to the following destinations:[5]
The fleet consisted of three Fokker 27 turboprop aircraft (in cargo configuration).[6]
| Registration | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VT-SSA | Crashed off the coast of Mumbai in 1997 | ||
| VT-SSB | Busy Bee | Stored at Chennai Airport. | |
| VT-SSC | Busy Bee | Scrapped at Mumbai Airport in 2007 |
VT-SSA, operating cargo flight on the Mumbai-Bangalore sector, crashed into the Arabian Sea off the Coast of Mumbai on 3 July 1997. The aircraft was destroyed on impact and both crew members died. Severe weather conditions encountered soon after take-off were said to be responsible for the accident.[7]
India