Akasa Air to order ‘three-digit-figure’ fleet by year end, may go global

Low-cost airline Akasa Air will place an order for a massive fleet of aircraft by the year end, the company said on Wednesday (March 1). Apparently, the figure will be in three digits.

The announcement comes barely a fortnight after Air India’s announcement of a record 470-plane deal with Airbus and Boeing.

Akasa Air founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vinay Dube told PTI that they plan to go international with the airline by the year end and intend to set up a learning academy in Bengaluru.

He added that Akasa has already ordered a fleet of 72 aircraft, of which 18 have been delivered.

Fastest growing airline in India

“By the end of the year, we will place a large order for aircraft. I’m not going to disclose the number but the order will be in three digits and it will be significant,” Dube said in a press conference in Bengaluru.

Also read: Akasa Air on steady ascent despite co-promoter Jhunjhunwala’s demise

Dube also said that Akasa will hire 300 pilots over the next year but the airline will need at least 3,500 pilots over the next decade.

The company has completed six months of operations to become the fastest growing airline in the country, it said in a statement. With 36 daily flights from Bengaluru, Akasa Air is the third largest domestic carrier in the city, it added.

(With agency inputs)