Ace Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air opened its flight bookings on Friday. The new entrant in the Indian aviation market will launch its flight operations on August 7 and connect four cities in the first phase.
The flight between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be launched on its first day of operation. Other cities to be connected in the first phase are Kochi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru. The airline will offer 56 weekly flights within 10 days of operations.
Moreover, the new airline will launch 28 weekly flights between Mumbai-Ahmedabad. Similar number of weekly flights is scheduled between Kochi-Bengaluru from August 13. The airline plans to further expand its network soon.
Bookings for flights on Akasa Air will be available via the Mobile App, Mobile Web & Desktop website www.akasaair.com, through travel agents and several OTAs across the country.
Vinay Dube, founder and chief executive officer of Akasa Air, said: “We are extremely excited to finally be able to offer up our flights for sale. We are also excited to reveal our product which promises to be unlike anything experienced in the category thus far.”
"Akasa Air’s network strategy is focused on establishing a strong pan-India presence and providing linkages from metro to tier-2 and tier-3 cities across the country," Praveen Iyer, co-founder and chief commercial officer, said.
The airline plans to progressively connect more cities as it adds two aircraft to its fleet each month in the first year of operations.
Akasa Air’s buy-on-board meal service will be available at Café Akasa. This will offer fusion meals, farm-inspired and plant-based offerings, varied menu options like pasta, Vietnamese rice rolls, hot chocolate and a year-round festival menu inspired by Indian cuisines. The packaging of perishable meals is ethically sourced from sustainably grown crops, the airline added.
The passengers can expect softer seat cushions, spacious leg room and
USB ports that will be available for every passenger, Akasa Air said.
Earlier this month, Akasa Air received its air operator certificate (AOC) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline had then said, “We now look forward to opening our flights for sale, leading to the start of commercial operations by late July."
A week ago, the airline put out a tweet stating that it is hiring for various positions.
First Published: Jul 22, 2022 11:25 AM IST
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