NEW DELHI: India’s newest carrier- Akasa Air - on Thursday announced a firm order of 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft at WINGS India 2024, Asia’s largest civil aviation event being held at Hyderabad this week.
The latest order, comprising of 737 MAX 10 and 737 MAX 8-200 jets will provide the airline a steady aircraft delivery stream through 2032, cementing the company’s domestic and international expansion plans, the carrier said.
This is the third biggest order for planes Indian carriers have made in the last one year. India’s largest airline IndiGo in June last year placed a firm order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. This deal overtook Tata Group-owned Air India’s mammoth order of 470 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus placed in March 2023.
Akasa Air claims that it has become the only Indian airline in the history of civil aviation to reach an order book of over 200 aircraft within a span of 17 months of commencing operations.
Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air said “This large and historic aircraft order puts Akasa on a path of becoming one of the top 30 leading airlines in the world, by the turn of this decade.“
“These additions to our fleet will help us bolster the strength of our operations as we expand our footprint and foray into international skies in the very near future…We are at a cusp where it is natural for our ecosystem to celebrate our financial stability, growth potential and market share,” Vinay concluded.
In 2021, Akasa Air had placed its initial order of 72 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which was followed up with an order of 4 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in June 2023. This new deal in January 2024, takes the airline’s order book to a total of 226 aircraft. The planes are powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines.
Akasa Air currently operates a fleet of 22 aircraft and will receive deliveries of a total of 204 aircraft over the course of eight years.
Since the carrier launched its first commercial flight on 07 August 2022, It has served over 6.3 million passengers and connects with 18 cities across India, namely Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Port Blair and Ayodhya.
While Boeing’s 737 MAX family provides greater range and fuel efficiency, it has been in the news for safety concerns for the last few years. Earlier this month, aviation regulators worldwide increased inspection of 737 Max planes after an emergency exit door of Alaska Airlines's B737-9 Max aircraft (flying from Portland to Ontario) blew out soon after takeoff, putting the lives of 177 passengers on board at risk.
