Akasa Air completes its second successful year of commercial operations

Having served 11 million passengers, the airline is on its path to becoming one of the top 30 airlines in the world by the turn of this decade

The Voice of Chandigarh:

Akasa Air, India’s fastest-growing airline, celebrates its second anniversary, marking an extraordinary journey evidenced by significant milestones for any Indian airline in the history of aviation. The airline operated its first commercial flight on 07 August 2022 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, redefining the representation of an Indian airline led by its empathetic service culture, reliable operations and affordable fares. 

Akasa Air has consistently been India’s most on-time airline. This, together with its operational efficiencies and extremely positive customer feedback has made it the preferred carrier of over 11 million passengers in India since its inception. In line with its endeavour to cater to the growing demand for air travel by connecting people, cultures, and regions, Akasa Air has registered triple-digit growth and continues to be the fastest-growing airline in global aviation history. 

Celebrating the milestone, Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air, said, “Two years ago, we embarked on a journey with a vision to redefine air travel, and today, I can proudly say that we have successfully delivered on our purpose while upholding our commitment to reliability, service excellence and affordability. We offer an unparalleled flying experience with the most comfortable seat in the Indian skies, a fresh in-cabin experience and our carefully curated culinary offerings, delivered by our empathetic crew. In this past year, we have consistently been India’s leader in on-time performance while registering greater operational reliability, and the lowest customer complaints, and cancellations in the industry. 

These milestones would not have been possible without the dedication of over 4000 Akasians whose effort and passion have been the driving force behind our collective achievements. 

Our success is also a direct result of the unwavering support and confidence of our partners who have backed us in our plans. We are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA for their steadfast drive to propel the growth of the industry. We are grateful to our shareholders for believing in our dream and for their constant support and guidance and we are excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead and will continue to build an airline that will make India proud.” 

Vinay added, “Akasa Air has always been more than a carrier flying from one place to another. It is the very embodiment of the Indian spirit, testifying to the potential that India holds as an aviation market”. 

Emerged as the most on-time airline

Akasa Air emerged as a leader in on-time performance, evidencing its commitment to being the most reliable airline. Its dedication to service excellence and operational efficiency has translated into exceptional results, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to punctuality and seamless travel backed by its robust scheduling and maintenance practices. 

Rapid commercial expansion

Akasa Air currently connects with 22 domestic and five international cities, namely Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Port Blair, Ayodhya, Gwalior, Srinagar, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Doha (Qatar), Jeddah, Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Abu Dhabi (UAE), and Kuwait. The airline now operates over 900 weekly flights across 22 domestic and five international destinations, achieving the milestone of serving over 11 million passengers within a short span of two years. 

Continued to create history with its aircraft order and international operations

In January 2024, Akasa Air announced a firm order of 150 aircraft, becoming the only Indian airline in the history of civil aviation to reach a firm order book of this size within 17 months of commencing operations. This landmark aircraft order cements the airline’s ambitious plans and is a testimony of its solid financial foundation. 

In March 2024, Akasa Air became the first Indian airline to fly overseas in a record period of 19 months. Since then, Akasa Air has rapidly bolstered its global footprint and operates over 35 weekly international flights to five destinations including Doha, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Kuwait, within just over 120 days of international flying. 

Commitment to service excellence

Akasa Air’s empathetic and youthful personality, employee-friendly culture, customer-service philosophy, and tech-led approach have made it the airline of choice for millions of customers. Since its inception, Akasa Air has redefined flying in India with its multiple industry-first and customer-friendly offerings. Reaffirming its unwavering commitment to delivering an unparalleled flying experience, Akasa Air introduced a slew of initiatives. Café Akasa, the airline’s onboard meal service has served a total of 3.8 meals to date, offering a distinguished culinary experience with industry-first fusion meals, appetisers with a regional twist, and decadent desserts.

Pets on Akasa, its pet-friendly carriage policy received an extremely encouraging response from travellers across the network. Keeping customer feedback in mind, the airline enhanced its service to extend the weight limit of pets allowed in the cabin to 10Kgs from the previous limit of 7Kgs. Since the launch of the service in November 2022, Akasa Air has flown over 3700 pets across its domestic network. 

Akasa Air offers over 25+ ancillary products to deliver on its promise of exceptional customer service such as Akasa GetEarly, Seat & Meal Deal, Extra Seat and Akasa Holidays which offer personalization that is second to none. Consistently enhancing the cabin experience for its customers, Akasa has launched several industry-firsts such as Skyscore by Akasa, SkyLights and QuietFlights. 

Looking forward

Akasa’s unwavering commitment to cost leadership, supported by operational and financial discipline, has set the airline on a successful trajectory toward profitability. In the last fiscal year, Akasa achieved a 300% growth in available seat kilometres (ASKM), setting a new record for airline growth that surpasses 122 years of global history. With the strong financial foundation the airline has built, it anticipates a year-on-year increase of 50% in its available seat kilometres.