MUMBAI-The ongoing inquiry of a mid-air incident, Akasa Air’s (QP) CEO remains optimistic about the timely delivery of its ordered Boeing 737 MAX jets.
The airline, which recently placed a large order for 150 aircraft, maintain its commitment to international expansion in the middle industry challenges.
While Akasa order doesn’t encompass the 737 Max 9 version implicated in the recent incident, heightened internal scrutiny and external investigations in the U.S. have sparked concerns about potential delays in the delivery schedule of other variants within Boeing’s 737 jetliner program.
Delivery Schedule with Boeing Expectations and Agreements
In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Akasa founder and CEO, Vinay Dube, emphasized the close communication maintained with Boeing, ensuring that their delivery schedule aligns precisely with mutually agreed expectations and agreements.
Akasa Air existing fleet comprises 24 Boeing aircraft out of a total order of 226, slated for delivery over an 8-year period. Dube refrained from providing a detailed breakdown of deliveries by year.
Akasa will inaugurate its inaugural international flight to Doha Airport(DOH) from Mumbai Airport(BOM) on March 28, with subsequent routes planned to include various Middle Eastern destinations such as Kuwait(KWI), Riyadh(RUH), and Jeddah(JED), followed by expansion into several Southeast Asian countries.
While India currently leads as the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, experiencing a demand for travel that surpasses the available aircraft supply, the majority of international traffic is dominated by global carriers like Emirates(EK).
Although Dube refrained from disclosing specific details regarding the airline’s capacity allocation for foreign routes, he expressed the ambition to rapidly expand international operations due to the comparatively lower costs and higher revenue potential in comparison to domestic routes.
Akasa Aggressive International Expansion
Regarding international revenues, they tend to exhibit greater resilience over time. We’re positioning ourselves to pursue international expansion more assertively than traditional airline approaches.
“In June, Akasa competitor, IndiGo(6E), placed an unprecedented order for 500 Airbus narrowbody planes, surpassing Air India’s combined purchase of 470 jets from Airbus and Boeing last year.”
“These airlines are banking heavily on the growth of air travel in India, a nation already facing a shortage of pilots. While Go First, a budget carrier, is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, SpiceJet(SG) has grappled with financial constraints in recent months.”
Dube highlighted that in India, the primary challenge lies in operating a high-quality airline.
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