Akasa Air on Tuesday announced that the carrier has added the 20th aircraft to its fleet, making it eligible to fly internationally.
Regulations require airlines to have at least 20 aircraft in their fleet to become eligible for international operations. Akasa Air also became the first airline in Asia to add the 737-8-200 variant of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its fleet.
“Bearing the registration VT YAV, the airline received the ceremonial keys to the milestone aircraft in Seattle, USA on July 28, 2023, and the aircraft arrived in Bengaluru at 9:31 hours today,” the company said in a press release.
The company in an interview last month said that it is considering expanding its network to the Middle East, Southeast Asia and other parts of South Asia — Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, keeping single-class configuration on the routes.
“Today’s landmark addition to our fleet, heralds the international chapter of growth in Akasa’s story, and makes us extremely optimistic about our future. We are very excited at the prospect of showcasing our unique and distinct service to the world,” said Vinay Dube, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air.
Set for growth
Akasa Air’s market share in June. Launched in August last year, Akasa Air’s market share stood at 4.9 per cent as it flew 6.18 lakh passengers last month. Some domestic carriers have gained market share recently owing to the grounding of the cash-strapped Go First, which stopped flying on May 3.
Akasa Air, which was launched in August 2022, has placed orders for 76 Boeing aircraft. Last month, the carrier ordered four more planes from Boeing.
At a time when competition is intensifying in the Indian aviation space, with IndiGo and Air India placing huge aircraft orders as well as pursuing aggressive growth plans, Dube said in an interview asserted that at Akasa Air, nothing is done that is short-term in nature.
About the airline, Dube said, “I don’t think, we get caught up in whether we’re going to grow a little faster or slow. That’s not what we’re chasing, we’re chasing sustainability, we are chasing the fact that we want to build an airline that will stand the test of time”.
“I think we are adequately funded. We were adequately funded to order 72 aircraft. We are adequately funded to add 4 more aircraft on top of that were adequately funded to place another three-digit aircraft order between now and the end of this year,” the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Akasa Air said.
The company is looking to add up to 800 new workers by the end of this fiscal year as it prepares to start international services. Akasa isn’t alone in stepping up hiring efforts — market leader IndiGo and Air India Ltd. plan to recruit thousands more staff, and both have blockbuster orders for hundreds of aircraft from Airbus SE and Boeing Co.
“The 737 MAX family provides greater range and fuel efficiency, reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by 20% compared to those it replaces. In addition, the 737 MAX is a quieter airplane with a 50% smaller noise footprint than replacement airplanes,” the company said in a release.
