Akasa Air orders another 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

Indian airline Akasa Air has ordered 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. This is a follow-up to an earlier order of 76 aircraft the airline placed two years back. As of now, Akasa Air has 22 aircraft in its fleet, while there are 202 Boeing 737 MAX that are yet to be delivered.

Speaking at the Wings India event, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia called Akasa's triple-digit order a landmark order. "This is the first order that has been signed on Indian soil," Scindia said. Scindia also stated that the industry is looking to more than double the fleet capacity in the next decade.

Earlier this month, a Reuters report, quoting sources said that India's youngest commercial airline was set to place an order for around 150 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody planes.

In 2023, Akasa Air claimed that it became the first airline in Asia to induct B737-8-200 aircraft after inducting one in the fleet, its 20th aircraft.

India's newest aviation player's 22 aircraft fleet includes 21 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and one Boeing 737 MAX 8 200.

Since commencing operations in August 2022, Akasa Air has set a global record by becoming the fastest airline to reach a fleet size of 20 aircraft within its first year. The airline has already served over 6.3 million passengers, connecting 18 Indian cities. It is poised to announce the start of international operations, focusing on the Western Asian region.

November 2023 data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows Akasa holding a steady 4.2% market share since August 2023 against IndiGo’s 60% and Tata Group airlines’ combined 26%. Earlier in the year, the airline briefly surpassed SpiceJet in market share for two consecutive months from June to July. However, it was later hit by the abrupt departure of about a tenth of its pilots and had warned it was flying less as a result, costing it market share.