After successfully commencing its commercial operations with its maiden flight on August 7, 2022 – Akasa Air, India’s newest airline, on August 12 inaugurated its first flights on the Bengaluru – Kochi route.
Taking off from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 11:00hrs, Akasa Air’s QP 1353 arrived at Cochin International Airport at 12:30hrs. Subsequently the first flight from Cochin International Airport Akasa Air’s QP 1354 took off at 13:10 hrs. and arrived at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 14:15hrs. From August 13 onwards, Akasa Air will offer double-daily flights in each direction on the Bengaluru-Kochi sector.
In line with the airline’s vision of adopting a phased approach to grow its network across India, Akasa Air has already announced a total of five routes in five cities, including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Bengaluru and Chennai and would be operating a total of 54 weekly flights by August 13, 2022.
Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air said, “We are extremely grateful for the response we have received from travellers since our maiden flight which was flagged off by the Honourable Civil Aviation Minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia-ji on 07 August. With this new Bengaluru – Kochi route, we look forward to our customers from these cities experiencing Akasa Air’s warm and efficient customer service and reliable operations at very affordable fares.”
The airline has started its commercial operations with two aircraft and plans to induct two 737 MAX aircraft each month, to establish a strong pan-India presence, with a focus on metro to tier 2 & 3 route connectivity. Akasa Air’s fleet size will be 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023 and over the next four years, the airline will add 54 additional aircraft, taking its total fleet size to 72 aircraft.
Photo Caption: (On left) Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air with Hari Marar, MD and CEO, BIAL