India’s upcoming and most awaited airline Akasa Air seems to be on track for its first flight this summer. From being in the preliminary stages of setting up the airline to finding high-profile investors, signing an aircraft deal with Boeing and deciding upon the airline’s branding, CEO of Akasa Air, Vinay Dube has really brought the airline into fruition. Things have been going well as far as the airline is considered and we can expect Akasa Air to be ready to fly in the summer of 2022.
Akasa Air – Progress Made so Far
The CEO of Akasa Air, Vinay Dube had an interview with ET Now where he had talked about the airline not being an ultra-low-cost carrier. He said that the airline has been wrongly characterized as a ULCC in the past and in fact, the airline is going to be a budget carrier. He added that Akasa Air will have a single fleet type, a single class of service, and all the other peculiarities of a budget carrier. In the interview, the CEO also talked about other things related to Akasa such as its plan for a summer launch and the finances of the airline.
To recall, Akasa Air had signed a 72 aircraft deal with Boeing last year and is scheduled to receive its first MAX aircraft in a few months. The aircraft will be required to go through regulatory approvals and commence the operation, it is anticipated that the airline will add 15 more MAX flights under its belt by the next year. Vinay Dube said in a statement that the airline will be receiving its first MAX aircraft in the latter half of April but won’t be used for commercial operations right away. Rather the first flight will be used to get the operating certificate. He said that the first commercial flight can be expected somewhere in late May or early June.
In addition to this, airline officials are in talks with various stakeholders such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore airports, as well as the Airports Authority of India, however, it is yet to be known which city will be the focus of the airline. Vinay Dube seems to be satisfied with the progress the airline has made so far. He informed in a statement that the asset and the aircraft maintenance is about 40% of airlines cost structure and fuel comprises the other 40%. This means that the airline has been able to take care of the engine maintenance from day one and the airline is pleased about the progress.
