National, 07 August 2023: Akasa Air, India’s most dependable and affordable airline, today completed one year of commercial operations in the Indian skies. The airline operated its first commercial flight on 07 August 2022 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, presenting an empathetic service culture, more affordable choices and greater connectivity to Indians, ushering in a new phase of growth for Indian aviation.
Fastest growing airline with unprecedented network and fleet expansion
With an initial fleet induction plan of adding one brand new aircraft every 15 days, Akasa Air has created the record of becoming one of the fastest growing airlines in the 120-year history of global aviation by virtue of achieving a fleet size of 20 new aircraft within 12 months of commercial operations. Further, the delivery of its 20th aircraft on 1 August 2023, makes Akasa Air the first airline in Asia to add the 737-8-200 variant of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its rapidly expanding fleet. Akasa Air’s order book comprises 76 jets which include 23 737-8s and 53 737-8-200 airplanes. In addition, the airline remains fully committed to placing a three-digit aircraft order by the end of 2023.
The landmark addition of its 20th aircraft, heralds the next chapter of growth in the Akasa Air story, driving Akasa’s foray into international skies, and allowing the airline to showcase its unique and category re-defining service to the world. With this immense impetus to its growth plans, Akasa will get access to international flying opportunities as it prepares to commence international operations by December 2023.
In its first year of commercial operations, Akasa Air has already served 4.3 million passengers and crossed the milestone of operating over 900 weekly flights with a published network of 35 unique routes across 16 destinations. It has also carried over 25,000 tonnes of cargo across its network during this time.
In a short span of a year, Akasa Air has grown its market share from 0% to 4.9%, having registered a passenger load factor of over 84% since the start of operations, with a steadily growing record of close to 90% in the current financial year. While developing its operations, the airline has maintained a steadfast commitment to becoming India’s most dependable airline, evidenced with industry leading on time performance for several consecutive months of operations in 2023.
Committed to the highest levels of service excellence in global aviation
Offering a signature warm and efficient customer service, Akasa Air’s empathetic and youthful personality, customer-service philosophy, and tech-led approach has won many hearts and gained the airline a distinctive reputation in India. Since its inception, the airline has curated distinguished offerings including its inflight meal service – Café Akasa and its pet-friendly carriage policy – Pets on Akasa.
At the very core of its customers’ journey, Akasa Air has created an exceptional inflight experience. Every airplane features the Boeing Sky Interior, highlighted by modern sculpted sidewalls, window reveals and LED lighting that enhances the cabin experience. Inside the cabins, flyers are treated to softer seat cushions and spacious legroom, made possible by the airline’s innovative seat design. The fresh and vibrant cabin environment creates a relaxed atmosphere and a sense of spaciousness, easing the flying experience for frequent and first-time flyers alike.
Akasa Air continues to invest in training with the belief that it is the foundational element of service excellence. This has led to the setting up several world-class learning academies in key cities across the country. The Akasa air Learning Academy (AALA) offers technologically forward learning for the modern aviation world with capabilities to simultaneously train over 700 future-ready aviation professionals. The facility features India’s only door trainer for next generation aircraft for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, thereby supporting extensive safety training for our cabin crew. Recently, the Academy has also installed the B737 – 8200 Max Mid Exit
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Door to ensure that the cabin crew is equipped to deal with emergencies in its newly inducted aircraft, from the get-go.
Establishing a nurturing employee centric culture
Akasa Air is home for over 3,000 employees today and has additionally created numerous indirect jobs within the aviation ecosystem. It expects to reach an employee strength of over 3500 by March 2024, to support its expansion plans. It is one of the most diverse aviation companies in the country today, and its employee centric culture has helped attract top talent from across the country alongside achieving one of the lowest attrition rates in the industry. Gender parity has been one of the key aspects of the company’s growth strategy and its continued efforts have resulted in a third of its Executive Committee and almost 40% of the company’s workforce already comprising of women.
Akasa Air is the first Indian airline to have introduced custom trousers, jackets, and comfortable sneakers for its airline in-flight crew. The uniform is inspired by the company’s core beliefs of employee centricity. The uniform fit focuses on providing flexibility with stretch material to ensure the comfort of employees. Given the mobile lifestyle of crew members and long hours spent standing, all frontline employees at the airline sport sneakers that are light and contain extra cushioning from heel to toe to ensure better support. Building a sustainable future as one of the youngest and greenest airlines in the world
Akasa Air is among the greenest airlines in the world, with one of the youngest fleet in global aviation. It has made a steadfast commitment towards sustainability, even as it builds a holistic travel experience, and is aligned with the increasingly environmentally friendly travel options that are sought by today’s flyers.
The airline has consistently invested in making environmentally progressive choices – be it the fuel-efficient, new 737 MAX airplane that lower environmental impact, recycled materials used in crew uniforms and shoes, as well as eco-friendly packaging in the airline’s in-flight meal service. Not least, the airline took a unique step towards water conservation, with its decision to move away from the ceremonial water canon salutes at flight and route inaugurations, that has resulted in saving approximately 3,00,000 litres of water to date.
Commenting on the milestone, Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air, said, “We feel extremely fulfilled to have successfully executed our ambitious and unprecedented scale-up over the last 12 months. As we have grown and delivered to our plans, Akasa Air has become the preferred carrier for an increasing number of travellers across the country. The Akasa story is a testament of India’s ongoing economic transformation and that of the country’s rapidly progressing civil aviation landscape. We are even more proud of the manner in which we have grown. Our disciplined approach and value-based culture has helped us become one of the most reliable, employee centric, customer obsessed and sustainable companies in the country, with an unflinching commitment to safety that has underpinned all our operations to date. Our first year has given us a strong operating and financial platform to execute on our continued growth ambitions”.
“We have many people to thank in this journey of planning and execution. First, I want to thank every member of the Akasa family, who bring in vast experience from global aviation and who have dedicated themselves to our shared vision and our collective success. The trust and dedication that the women and men of Akasa have placed in our organisation, has made every day of these last 12 months possible.
We are grateful for our partners who have placed immense trust in our plans and supported us in our seamless execution. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have had the DGCA’s continuous support on all the required regulatory guidance to date and the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s steadfast drive to propel the growth of this industry. Above all, I want to take this opportunity to thank the late and great Mr. Jhunjhunwala, who seeded the ability that enables us to deliver on our ambitious roadmap. We cannot thank him enough for being an early believer and for putting his faith in us to build a world-class airline”, he added.
“Our first year has built the foundation for the long term, and we feel incredibly optimistic as we continue to invest in our future – one that we hope will serve generations of Indians for a long time to come”, Vinay concluded.
Akasa Air turns 1: https://www.akasaair.com/AkasaTurns1
The Akasa story video: https://www.youtube.com/@akasa_air
