India’s Akasa Air plans to place large plane order in 2023
India’s Akasa Air will place a “substantially large” order for new narrow-body aircraft this year, as the new low-cost carrier looks to capitalize on booming demand in the country and begin international flights, its chief executive told Reuters.
The airline has taken delivery of 17 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft out of a total order of 72, which will be delivered by March 2027.
“Before the end of this year we are going to place another aircraft order that is going to be substantially larger than the 72-aircraft order we have placed,” Vinay Dube said during an interview without giving a specific figure.
The new order will be for narrow-body aircraft, the Akasa founder said.
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Dube did not specify whether the order would be placed with Boeing or Airbus, but low-cost carriers often prefer to use a single narrow-body aircraft type to help control costs.
The order plans come at a time when travel demand in India has seen a strong rebound following COVID-19, making it the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, with capacity exceeding 2019 levels.
The announcement comes two days after Air India placed an order for up to 540 aircraft, the largest order placed by a single airline, as it looks to revamp its fleet to take advantage of its country’s travel boom.
According to consultancy CAPA, the country’s airlines are expected to order between 1,500 and 1,700 aircraft over the next two years, including a likely order for 500 aircraft by IndiGo, India’s largest airline.
Akasa will add three aircraft to its fleet in the next three months to reach 20, allowing it to fly to international destinations as per Indian government regulations, Dube said.
“Between now and the end of the year, we expect to fly internationally. The company will focus on destinations within the range of a 737 MAX in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East,” he added.
In the domestic market, Akasa will focus on its strategy of connecting smaller cities to the country’s major metropolises, at a time when demand remains strong despite high ticket prices.
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