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Today marks the one-year anniversary of Akasa Air‘s commercial operations in India. The airline’s first commercial flight took off on August 7, 2022, from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
Akasa Air has achieved a remarkable feat by adding 20 new aircraft to its fleet within just 12 months of commercial operations. This makes it one of the fastest-growing airlines in the global aviation industry’s 120-year history. The airline plans to continue this impressive growth rate by adding one new aircraft every 15 days.
20 aircraft in one year
On August 1, 2023, Akasa Air became the first airline in Asia to add the 737-8-200 variant of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its fleet. The airline’s current order book includes 76 jets, including 23 737-8s and 53 737-8-200 planes. It plans to place an order for three-digit aircraft by the end of 2023.
International flights by December 2023
The addition of its 20th aircraft marks the beginning of a new chapter of growth for Akasa Air. The airline plans to expand its operations into global skies and aims to commence international operations by December 2023.
In its first year of commercial operations, Akasa Air has served 4.3 million passengers and operated over 900 weekly flights across 35 unique routes and 16 destinations. The airline said it has also transported more than 25,000 tonnes of cargo across its network.
3,500 employees by March 2024
Akasa Air currently holds a market share of 4.9 per cent in the domestic aviation industry with passenger load factor of over 84 per cent since the beginning of its operations. With over 3,000 employees, the airline plans to increase its employee strength to over 3,500 by March 2024 to support its expansion plans.
Custom uniform for in-flight crew
When it started operations last year, Akasa Air introduced custom uniforms for its in-flight crew, including trousers, jackets, and comfortable sneakers. It has also used recycled materials for crew uniforms and shoes and eco-friendly packaging for in-flight meals.
Akasa Air is one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, reaching a fleet size of 20 aircraft within a year of commencing operations. Indian regulations require airlines to have at least 20 aircraft in their fleet to become eligible for international operations and this milestone enables Akasa Air to fly internationally.
Youngest, greenest fleet
As one of the greenest airlines globally, the airline has invested in fuel-efficient aircraft like the new 737 MAX aeroplane to lower its environmental impact. In addition, the airline has made a unique commitment to water conservation by discontinuing the ceremonial water canon salutes at flight and route inaugurations, resulting in saving approximately 3,00,000 litres of water to date. 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. We are even more proud of the manner in which we have grown. Our first year has given us a strong operating and financial platform to execute on our continued growth ambitions. Our first year has built the foundation for the long term, and we feel incredibly optimistic as we continue to invest in our future – one that we hope will serve generations of Indians for a long time to come.”
On the occasion, Dube also thanked the employees of Akasa Air and others who supported the airline since its inception.
“Above all, I want to thank the late and great Mr Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who seeded the ability that enables us to deliver on our ambitious roadmap. We cannot thank him enough for being an early believer and for putting his faith in us to build a world-class airline”, he added.
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