Travel Trade Journal

Akasa Air commences operations, maiden flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad

The first commercial flight from Akasa Air lifted off on August 7, 2022. This heralded a new era of empowermen­t for the Indian traveller.

-

Akasa Air, India’s newest airline, commenced its commercial operations on August 7, 2022, with its first flight taking off from Mumbai Internatio­nal Airport, bound for Ahmedabad Internatio­nal Airport. As a symbolic gesture to mark the occasion during the ceremony, Akasa Air’s boarding pass was handed over to Jyotiradit­ya Scindia, Union Minister for Civil Aviation and General (Dr) V. K Singh, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Both guests of honour addressed the gathering and officially flagged off the event. Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtr­a, extended his wishes on the commenceme­nt of Akasa Air’s operations while addressing the gathering.

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 of India’s ongoing economic transforma­tion and that of the country’s rapidly progressin­g civil aviation landscape. The Akasa story is aligned with the nation’s journey towards making air travel affordable through PM Modi’s clarion call, Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik. We want to serve our country by creating strong transporta­tion links which are the underpinni­ng of any economic growth engine.”

“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, employeefr­iendly culture, customerse­rvice 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 along five cities, 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 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.

 ?? ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India