Akasa Air, backed by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, on Tuesday received delivery of its first aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The airline expects to operate the ‘proving flights’ required to obtain DGCA’s Air Operating Permit (AOP), which airlines need to begin commercial flights, next week, CEO Vinay Dube told journalists.
The airline plans to apply for airport slots in July and start flights by the end of the month with two aircraft, followed by a gradual scaling up to 18 planes by March 2023
On the airline’s plans to connect metro cities with tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Mr. Dube said, “there is growth everywhere and that’s the India story”. He added that this market was the “best opportunity” for the airline.