Akasa Air Books 150 Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft, Becomes First Indian Airline To Reach 200 Order Milestone In 17 Months

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air announced ordering 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on Thursday (18 January). The company has been one of the fastest-growing airlines since its inaugural flight on 7 August 2022.

With this milestone, the company claims to become the first Indian airline in the history of civil aviation to reach a firm order book of more than 200 aircraft within 17 months of operations.

Speaking on the occasion, Founder and CEO, Vinay Dube said, “We are extremely confident about Akasa’s financial stability and growth potential", asserting that he is proud of the reliability and service excellence that the airline offers.

Earlier, the airline was able to expand its fleet to an impressive size of 20 brand-new aircraft within just 12 months of operation, setting a precedent for rapid growth.

During its inaugural year, Akasa Air has demonstrated remarkable performance, serving over 4.3 million passengers and operating more than 900 weekly flights across 35 unique routes covering 16 destinations.

The announcement comes just a couple of days after the Congress MP criticised the BJP government for "the sorry state of India’s aviation sector". In response, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia named Akasa too.

Scindia highlighted that during the NDA government rule, five new regional airlines, along with Akasa, have taken birth under the PM’s UDAN vision, while "Airlines that shut shop/were brought to failure during the UPA rule = Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Air India."