Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-owned Akasa Air begins commercial flight operations in India

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-owned Indian startup Akasa Air has taken its first flight between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The plane took off on Sunday, and was inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia and MoS General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.) On July 22, India's newest airline, Akasa Air opened ticket sales for its first commercial flights on Friday, with a network that includes Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kochi. In the first phase, Akasa Air, whose airline code is QP, will begin operations on August 7, 2022, with 28 weekly flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Jhujhunwala, who was present at the Mumbai airport, said in his speech: "I must thank you (Scindia) because people say that India has a very very bad bureaucracy but the cooperation that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has given us, it is unbelievable."

Nowhere in the world has an airline been conceived and born in 12 months, he added. "Normally a child is born in 9 months, we took 12 months. It would not have been possible without the cooperation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation," he noted. The airline's inaugural flight operated this morning.

Subsequently, starting August 13, the airline will start operating an additional 28 weekly flights between Bengaluru and Kochi. Tickets for all are open for sale with immediate effect.

"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. With Akasa employees providing warm and efficient customer service, a reliable and dependable network, and affordable fares - we look forward to serving our customers with a flying experience that I am sure they will find delightful", Vinay Dube, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air, had said.

Also read: Rakesh Jhujhunwala-owned Akasa Air to begin flight ops from tomorrow: Check Routes, Airfare and more

"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, Akasa Air, had said.In July, ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed airline received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The grant of the AOC is the final step of a comprehensive and rigorous process laid down by the DGCA and marks the satisfactory completion of all regulatory and compliance requirements for the airline`s operational readiness. 

(With inputs from ANI)