Akasa Air announces safety audit registration

Akasa Air has achieved registration under the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme, a globally recognised benchmark of airline operational safety. Akasa Air has achieved this milestone in just over three years since commencing operations.

Commenting on the milestone, Capt. Gaurav Pathak, Chief of Flight Safety, Akasa Air, said, “Achieving IOSA registration in just over three years is a significant milestone for Akasa and a testament to the discipline, professionalism, and safety mindset demonstrated by our teams across the organisation. We have built a strong and resilient safety culture from day one, and this recognition reinforces that we are operating at global standards. We remain committed to continuously strengthening our systems and processes as we scale and serve more passengers across India and beyond.”

Established by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), IOSA is an internationally accepted system designed to assess an airline’s operational management and control processes. The comprehensive audit covers key operational areas, including flight operations, engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, ground operations, cargo, security, and organisational management systems.

“Since its launch in August 2022, Akasa Air has built safety and reliability ecosystems of the highest standards, driven by globally benchmarked processes, rigorous training, and a culture of continuous improvement,” the airline said. “Completing the rigorous IOSA audit so early in its journey further strengthens the airline’s global credibility and positions it among a select group of carriers that have successfully demonstrated compliance with the highest international operational and safety standards.”

Air India Express adds Nagpur-Bengaluru route
Strengthening its presence further in Maharashtra, Air India Express has inaugurated its operations from Nagpur. The airline now operates twice-daily flights between Nagpur and Bengaluru, its largest hub, enhancing connectivity and offering greater convenience to travellers. The inaugural flight from Nagpur took off at 10:00 hrs and landed in Bengaluru at 12:05 hrs, while the first flight from Bengaluru to Nagpur departed at 07:25 hrs and arrived at 09:30 hrs.

Speaking about the launch, Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, said, “With the commencement of our operations from Nagpur today, alongside our upcoming launch from the new Navi Mumbai International Airport, we are further strengthening our presence across Maharashtra. These additions reinforce our focus on enhancing connectivity between non-metro cities and our major hubs, particularly Bengaluru, which continues to grow as our key domestic hub. This expanded network enables guests to enjoy seamless one-stop access across India, the Gulf, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. As we scale our network, we look forward to welcoming more travellers to ‘Xplore More, and Xpress More’ with Air India Express.”

From Nagpur, the airline offers one-stop connectivity to 29 domestic destinations and seven international destinations. Across Maharashtra, Air India Express operates over 130 weekly direct flights from Mumbai and over 90 weekly direct flights from Pune. The airline will also begin direct flights from Navi Mumbai to Bengaluru and Delhi from 25 December 2025. Bengaluru continues to serve as an important hub for the airline, with over 530 weekly direct flights, including services to recently launched destinations such as Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jodhpur, and Udaipur. The airline has also recently introduced direct flights from Bengaluru to Bangkok, Jeddah, Kuwait and Riyadh.

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