After great start, Akasa plans to expand

After successful completion of two months of its operations, Akasa Air plans to strengthen the domestic
connectivity by adding to its network an aircraft every 15 days. To fulfil its goal of developing a strong pan-India presence, the company plans to operate 300 weekly flights by October end.

TT Bureau

With a commitment towards making travel accessible in India, Akasa Air has been progressively expanding its network across the country in a phased manner and introducing flights to Tier 2 and 3 cities. The company recently received its sixth aircraft and plans to have a fleet size of 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023. Over the next four years, the airline plans to add 54 additional aircraft, taking its total fleet size to 72 aircraft.

On the completion of first two months of Akasa Air’s commercial journey, Vinay Dube, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air, said, “Our first two months have been very exciting and satisfying, as we moved from planning to commercial operations. We have been hyper focussed on establishing and delivering an empathetic, dependable and reliable flying experience unlike anything witnessed in the Indian skies thus far.” Dube added, “We are delighted that a significant number of flyers have already chosen to fly with us and are very pleased with the positive feedback we have received on our product and services. It is equally satisfying to see the pride in our employees as they work together to deliver the Akasa Experience.”

Marking the airline’s first 60 days of operations, Akasa Air established Delhi as the sixth destination on its network and inaugurated flights on the Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes. The airlines also announced eight destinations – Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Delhi, Agartala and Guwahati – that will be covered with 11 non-stop routes.

Commenting on the occasion, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, “We are elated by the response we have received, as we welcomed on board more than 100,000 passengers within just 60 days of operations. Further strengthening our domestic connectivity and catering to more flyers during the festive season, we are delighted to be able to add Delhi to our network and connect the capital city to the rapidly growing and vibrant cities of Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. By expanding our network with an aircraft arriving every 15 days, we aim to fulfil our goal of developing a strong pan-India presence and expect to operate 300 weekly flights by October end.”

About the product, services and customer experience, Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, Akasa Air, said, “We set out with a promise to be a dependable airline focussing on warm, efficient and reliable service. We are extremely happy with the reception and feedback on our product and services, which motivate us not just to sustain but raise the standard of our service delivery. We will continue to provide our passengers with category-first and personalised product features.”

He added, “Further, as we continue with our vision to create an inclusive and humane travel experience, Akasa’s pet-friendly service will commence from 1 November 2022, wherein passengers flying on Akasa Air will be able to travel with their pets in the cabin.”