In the first year of commercial operations, Akasa Air has flown 4.3 million passengers with over 900 flights per week, now becoming eligible to make international tours as well with a fleet of 20 planes, said the airline.The airline has been owned by SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd and was founded by former Jet Airways CEO, Vinay Dube along with others. Akasa Air commenced operations with its maiden flight taking off from Maharashtras Mumbai for Ahmedabad on August 07 last year.Akasa Air achieves a milestoneAccording to the official statement, the airlines served 4.3 million passengers with a 4.9 per cent market share and crossed a milestone of operating 900 flights per week with a published network of 35 unique routes across 16 destinations across India just in a year.During this period, Akasa has also registered a passenger load factor of more than 84 per cent since the start of its operations, with a growing record of close to 90 per cent in the current financial year, it said.Speaking on the success of the airlines, Dube said, “We feel extremely fulfilled to have successfully executed our ambitious and unprecedented scale-up over the last 12 months. Our first year has given us a strong operating and financial platform to execute our continued growth ambitions.”He added, “Our first year has built the foundation for the long term, and we feel incredibly optimistic as we continue to invest in our future.”Akasa will provide international services by DecemberEarlier this month, the airline said that it has qualified to start its flights on international routes. After this, Akasa plans to start to provide its service on international routes by this December.Moreover, Akasa Air has also placed a firm order for 76 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft–23 B737-8s and 53 high-capacity B737-8-200 aircraft–powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines.Additionally, the airline remains fully committed to placing a three-digit aircraft order by the end of 2023.Further, Akasa Air also said it continues to invest in training and has set up several learning academies in metro cities across India. The airline also said it has recently installed B737 – 8200 Max Mid Exit Door to ensure that the cabin crew is equipped to deal with emergencies in its newly-inducted aircraft, from the get-go.
