NEW DELHI: Akasa Air is finally in Indian skies as the first flight took off on Sunday between the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, which was inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia along with MoS General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.)
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.
Starting today, Akasa Air is offering weekly flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Akasa will compete against other budget airlines such as market leader IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoFirst. It will also face competition from the revamped Air India and Tata Group’s two other airlines - Vistara and AirAsia India.
On July 22, Akasa Air whose airline code is QP opened ticket bookings for its first commercial flights with an initial network in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kochi.
Subsequently, starting August 13, the airline will start operating an additional 28 weekly flights between Bengaluru and Kochi. Tickets for all are open for sale with immediate effect.
"We are extremely excited to finally be able to offer up our flights for sale. We are also excited to reveal our product which promises to be unlike anything experienced in the category thus far. With Akasa employees providing warm and efficient customer service, a reliable and dependable network, and affordable fares - we look forward to serving our customers with a flying experience that I am sure they will find delightful", Vinay Dube, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air, had said.
"Akasa Air's network strategy is focused on establishing a strong pan-India presence and providing linkages from metro to tier 2 and tier 3 cities across the country," Praveen Iyer, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, had said.
In July, the ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed airline received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The grant of the AOC is the final step of a comprehensive and rigorous process laid down by the DGCA and marks the satisfactory completion of all regulatory and compliance requirements for the airline's operational readiness.
From announcing the airline to commencing its first flight, everything for Akasa happened at jet speed.
It was in July 2022, when India and the world was battling the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala first revealed his plans to launch Akasa. Jhunjhunwala’s timing was then questioned as the global aviation industry was ransacked by the pandemic with a few big names deciding to shut doors.
Akasa, which has industry veterans such as Vinay Dube and Aditya Ghosh, in October 2021 received the no-objection certification (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry to start an airline and in November inked a deal with US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing for seventy-two 737 MAX airplanes.
Valued at nearly $9 billion at list prices, Akasa’s order includes two variants from the 737 MAX family, the 737-8 and the high-capacity 737-8-200.
Post assembling its team and receiving its maiden aircraft on June 21st, Akasa in early July received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from aviation regulator DGCA and will start commercial operations.
Bookings for flights are available via the mobile app, and its website www.akasaair.com.
(With inputs from IANS and online desk)