The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
Akasa Air, India’s newest carrier backed by billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, started ticket sales for its debut flights.
The low-cost airline will initially fly Boeing Co 737 Max jets to four Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kochi, according to a statement. The carrier will start operating 28 weekly flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on August 7, followed by the same number of flights between Bengaluru and Kochi from August 13.
Akasa’s network strategy will be to connect metro cities with smaller towns across India, Praveen Iyer, co-founder and chief commercial officer, said. The network will expand in a phased manner and connect more cities as Akasa adds two aircraft each month in the first year, he said. The carrier expects to have a fleet of 72 737 jets within five years.
The carrier’s debut comes as most rival airlines in the cutthroat Indian market are tainted with repeated non-fatal incidents caused by mid-air technical malfunctions. The
aviation regulator recently grounded two Airbus SE A320 aircraft of Go First, India’s second-biggest airline, and a Boeing Co 787 jet of Air India Ltd, after they reported incidents.