Akasa Air to add new aircraft every two weeks

Akasa air received its third aircraft which will be put into operation on the Mumbai-Bengaluru route shortly

Representative image. Credit: AFP File Photo

India's Akasa Air said on Wednesday it would keep adding one new aircraft every two weeks after the country's newest budget carrier received its third plane.

Akasa began commercial operations on August 7 with a maiden flight from the country's financial capital, Mumbai, to the city of Ahmedabad.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube said the airline was well-capitalized to induct 72 aircraft over the next five years, while mourning the death of Akasa's top backer and ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala who passed away on Sunday.

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"Our financial platform is strong enough to allow Akasa to place an aircraft order in the next 18 months that will be significantly larger than our first," Dube said.

Akasa, which placed an order for 72 Boeing 737 MAX jets in November last year, will compete with budget carriers including IndiGo, SpiceJet, and GoFirst.

Domestic air travel in India has made a sharp recovery this year with airlines flying over 57 million passengers in the first half, up 238 per cent from last year, government data showed.