"Path of becoming top 30 largest airlines in world," Akasa Air co-founder on order of fresh 150 Boeing 737 Max Planes

Boeing and Akasa Air revealed at the Wings India 2024 airshow that the Indian carrier has added 150 more fuel-efficient jets to its order book, including 737-10 airplanes and additional 737-8-200 jets, marking a follow-on 737 MAX order.

Referring to this, CEO Vinay Dube told ANI, "The first reaction is a lot of pride in India and the promise that India holds for all of us, a lot of pride in Akasa's 3,500 employees without whom we won't be at this point able to announce such a large and historical order. In terms of our expansion, with this 150 aircraft order, we now have a total order bulk of 226 aircraft which means we can now say with confidence that we are on the path to becoming one of the top 30 largest airlines in the world."

When asked about the confidence to do something like this, the Akasa Air co-founder said that work like this depends on two things, first the willpower of Akasians (people who work for Akasa), and the other element is India.

"It is dependent on two things. One is the willpower of the Akasians (people who work for Akasa) and the other element is India. When the GDP is growing, GDP per capita is growing, and when the government has that kind of infrastructure, investment, and policies that make us believe that a common man can travel on aircraft. When we combine the work of the government and the willpower of Akasian, that gives us the confidence to do something like this," Dube said.

Informing about the domestic destination, Dube said, "Domestically, we are already flying to 17 destinations. We have just announced our 18th destination - Ayodhya. Now, it's focussed on adding more domestic destinations but for us is to start international flying as well. The destinations are announced: Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Kuwait."

He further thanked ace investor and billionaire late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala for capitalization in their airline.

"We believe that every airline needs to be financially strong, be well capitalized. For us, that capitalization came from the late and great Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, which we are eternally grateful for. We remain well-capitalized, and we are cash-flow-positive," Dube said.

Leveraging the 737 MAX family, Akasa Air plans to enhance its domestic and international network in the coming years. Since its inception in 2022, the airline has secured around 4 percent of India's domestic market share, operating flights to 18 destinations with a fleet comprising 22, 737 MAX jets.

"First Indian airline to reach a firm order book of 200+ aircraft within 17 months of operations The first major aircraft order announced at an airshow in India Reaffirms airline's strong growth trajectory and financial stability," the Akasa announcement read.

The latest order, comprising 737 MAX 10 and 737 MAX 8-200 jets, will provide the airline with a steady aircraft delivery stream through 2032, cementing the company's domestic and international expansion plans.

With this milestone announcement, the first of its kind made at an airshow in India, Akasa Air becomes the only Indian airline in the history of civil aviation to reach an order book of over 200 aircraft within a span of 17 months of commencing operations. This landmark aircraft order is a testimony of the airline's solid financial foundation and showcases Boeing's confidence in Akasa Air's future. (ANI)