Big plans: Akasa Air hopes to increase network by 35% in FY 2024

Simple Flying publishes an article about Akasa Air planning to grow its network by over 30% by the end of the next financial year, adding more Indian cities and overseas locations. Caliber.Az reprints the article.

Now that we’ve entered the new year, airlines are strategizing and planning the next 12 months. India’s low-cost carrier, Akasa Air, is the youngest airline in the country but has witnessed remarkable growth. With more than 15 Indian cities on its network map, Akasa wants to grow its network even further this year by over 30%.

Network growth in 2024

Akasa Air has its eyes firmly set on increasing its network this year. The airline currently operates in 17 cities across India – Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Port Blair.

But it plans to grow by around 35% by the end of the next financial year. While a large part of this is likely to be Indian destinations, Akasa will soon also add several overseas locations to its network map to fuel the growth. Businessline quotes Akasa’s Chief Commercial Officer, Praveen Iyer, as saying,

“(We are) progressively adding more cities to our network. The airline today connects 17 cities and plans to end FY24 with 35 per cent growth in network and expand its fleet strength to 26 aircraft.

“We are also on course to announce a significant three-digit aircraft order in early 2024 and are looking forward to the coming year as we expand our presence and step into the next chapter of our growth story.”

Swift growth

Akasa began operating in August 2022, with its first flight between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Initially, it started with a couple of Boeing 737 MAX planes and a few routes on its network, but by December, Akasa was already in 10 cities across India and steadily increasing its fleet size.

By March 2023, when Akasa announced Kolkata as one of its destinations, the carrier’s network included all tier 1 cities in India: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. Since its launch, Akasa has flown more than 6.3 million passengers.

Akasa initially planned to include one new Boeing 737 MAX every two weeks. Although, there were some roadblocks along the way, such as supply chain issues forcing the airline to accept seats without USB ports and planes in different configurations. But by the time Akasa turned one, its fleet already had 20 planes.

Looking ahead

Akasa’s first aircraft order included 76 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. At the 2023 Paris Air Show, it added four more planes to it. But in the coming months, it will announce a significant three-digit order, aligning with its long-term growth plans.

The airline will also start international services this year, with Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Jeddah as the destinations in its first growth phase. It’ll be interesting to see how it performs in the highly lucrative but also very crowded India-Middle East sector.