Akasa Air to change dynamics of Indian aviation industry, here's what we can expect

As India's newest airline, Akasa Air promises to bring a lot of technology and new experience as the country's air travel demand is suffering in Covid.

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Akasa Air, India's newest airline backed by the Big Bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala recently placed a massive order of 72 Boeing 737 Max family of aircrafts, one of the largest orders for the Max plane globally and also the largest order post the 737 Max grounding. Slated to start operations this year, the airline has received the initial clearance (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry and DGCA to launch the ultra-low-cost carrier. We decode what exactly is Akasa Air and what new does it bring to the table?

Key Details 

Backed by ace investor Rakesh Jhunjunwala

Operations to start in Summer 2022

Low cost domestic airline

Will fly single aisle Boeing 737 Max aircraft

Focus to harness technology for enhanced customer experience

Start Date

SNV Aviation under which Akasa will fly says that the airline brand is targeting Summer 2022 to start the operations in India. Akasa Air has already received the No Objection Certificate to operate flights in India. 

Fleet

In an earlier released statement, the airline mentioned that the company plans to operate approximately 70 planes in the next four years. While the Airbus' Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer had previously stated that Airbus is in conversation with Akasa for an aircraft procurement deal, the Indian brand, at the Dubai Air Show, sealed a deal with Boeing to procure 72 737 Max aircrafts. The Max 8 aircraft is the same single aisle aircraft that was grounded after a couple of deadly crashes in late 2019. Following modifications and clearance from the FAA, DGCA has also approved operations to resume in India. 

Key People

Akasa Air is backed by ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who is the co-founder of the newest airline and owns 40% of the company. Ex-Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube will be the CEO of Akasa Air with a 15 per cent stake. The brand is also looking to hire other industry leaders at the top spot before beginning of the operations. 

Routes

Akasa Air plans to offer flights across India with an "endeavour to be the nation's most dependable, affordable and greenest airline". While no announcement has been made in this regards, it is expected the Akasa will serve the major domestic routes with the ultra low cost airline to attract the potential flyers.