Akasa Air is on track to become one of the top 30 airlines by the end of this decade, as reported by the Economic Times, citing an email from co-founder and CEO Vinay Dube to employees on the airline’s second anniversary.
The airline began operations two years ago, initially funded by a $35 million investment from billionaire stockbroker Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and other investors.
Since then, it has transported over 11 million passengers and currently operates more than 900 weekly flights to 22 domestic and five international cities.
According to the Economic Times, Dube stated in the mail, “It gives me great satisfaction that our shared vision and collective efforts in the second year of our operations have put us on course to become one of the top 30 airlines in the world by the turn of this decade.”
Akasa Air has surpassed SpiceJet to capture a 5% market share, achieving a record by adding 24 aircraft to its fleet at the fastest rate ever seen in India.
The airline initially ordered 72 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and later added four more to the order. In January, Akasa Air placed an additional order for 150 of the same aircraft.
However, Boeing’s aircraft production has significantly slowed due to increased scrutiny from regulators, other airlines, and lawmakers following an incident in January where a door plug detached from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 during flight. Nevertheless, Akasa Air does not operate this particular model.
