India’s Akasa Air has completed one year of commercial operations in the Indian skies. The airline operated its first commercial flight on 7 August 2022 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. With an initial fleet induction plan of adding one new aircraft every 15 days, Akasa Air has created the record of becoming one of the fastest-growing airlines in the 120-year history of global aviation by virtue of achieving a fleet size of 20 new aircraft within 12 months of commercial operations. Further, the delivery of its 20th aircraft on 1 August 2023, makes Akasa Air the first airline in Asia to add the 737-8-200 variant of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its rapidly expanding fleet. Akasa Air’s order book comprises 76 jets which include 23 737-8s and 53 737-8-200 airplanes. In addition, the airline remains fully committed to placing a three-digit aircraft order by the end of 2023.
The landmark addition of its 20th aircraft, heralds the next chapter of growth in the Akasa Air story, driving Akasa’s foray into international skies. Akasa will get access to international flying opportunities as it prepares to commence international operations by December 2023.
In its first year of commercial operations, Akasa Air has already served 4.3 million passengers and crossed the milestone of operating over 900 weekly flights with a published network of 35 unique routes across 16 destinations. It has also carried over 25,000 tonnes of cargo across its network during this time.
In a short span of a year, Akasa Air has grown its market share from 0% to 4.9%, having registered a passenger load factor of over 84% since the start of operations, with a steadily growing record of close to 90% in the current financial year. While developing its operations, the airline has maintained a steadfast commitment to becoming India’s most dependable airline, evidenced with industry leading on time performance for several consecutive months of operations in 2023.
Akasa Air is home for over 3,000 employees today and has additionally created numerous indirect jobs within the aviation ecosystem. It expects to reach an employee strength of over 3,500 by March 2024, to support its expansion plans.
Commenting on the milestone, Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air, said, “We feel extremely fulfilled to have successfully executed our ambitious and unprecedented scale-up over the last 12 months. As we have grown and delivered to our plans, Akasa Air has become the preferred carrier for an increasing number of travellers across the country. The Akasa story is a testament of India’s ongoing economic transformation and that of the country’s rapidly progressing civil aviation landscape. We are even more proud of the manner in which we have grown. Our disciplined approach and value-based culture has helped us become one of the most reliable, employee centric, customer obsessed and sustainable companies in the country, with an unflinching commitment to safety that has underpinned all our operations to date. Our first year has given us a strong operating and financial platform to execute on our continued growth ambitions.”
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