Comments
Akasa Air, India’s newest airline, today commenced its commercial operations with its first flight taking off from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, bound for Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The maiden flight took off from Mumbai at 10:05 am with a scheduled arrival at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 11:25 am.
Akasa Air’s boarding pass was handed over to the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and the Honourable Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, General VK Singh. Both guests of honour addressed the gathering and officially flagged off the event. While addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, extended his wishes on the commencement of Akasa Air’s operations. The ceremony was also graced by the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Rajiv Bansal, and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Usha Padhee.
Commenting on the commencement of commercial operations, Vinay Dube, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air, said, “Today marks a significant milestone in Akasa Air’s journey as we successfully commence our commercial operations with our maiden flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. This is not just a testament to the women and men of Akasa that have made this day possible, but also a testament to India’s ongoing economic transformation and that of the country’s rapidly progressing civil aviation landscape.”
“We are thrilled to finally begin our commercial journey and bring alive our vision of supporting India’s economic progress and building India’s greenest, most dependable, and most affordable airline. Akasa Air’s empathetic and youthful personality, employee-friendly culture, customer-service philosophy, and tech-led approach will make this commitment a reality for us. We are now focussed on delivering a flying experience unlike anything witnessed in the Indian skies thus far,“ he added.
Akasa Air will offer weekly flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Progressively adding cities and routes to its network, the airline has already announced a total of five routes, including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. With a fleet induction plan of two 737 MAX aircraft each month, the airline is looking to establish a strong pan-India presence, with a focus on the metro to tier 2 and 3 route connectivity. The fleet size will be raised to 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023, and over the next four years, the airline will add 54 aircraft, taking its total fleet size to 72.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.