Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air on Friday said it will launch commercial flight operations on August 7, the PTI reported.
According to the report, Akasa Air will by operating its maiden service on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route using Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
The airline in a statement said that it has opened ticket sales on 28 weekly flights it will be operating on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route from August 7, as well as on 28 weekly flights on Bengaluru-Kochi route from August 13.
Akasa Air has kept the minimum one-way fare on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad sector at Rs 3,948. Flights of other airlines were priced upwards of Rs 4262 on the same route.
In the beginning, Akasa Air will start commercial operations with its two 737 MAX aircraft. Boeing has delivered one MAX aircraft and the second one's delivery is scheduled to take place later this month.
Praveen Iyer, co-founder and chief commercial officer, Akasa Air, said, "We kick-start operations with flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, with the brand-new Boeing 737 Max aircraft. We will adopt a phased approach to support our network expansion plans, progressively connecting more cities, as we add two aircraft to our fleet each month, in our first year," he said.
Akasa Air's Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube said in a statement, "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."
On July 7, Akasa Air said that it has received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). With the DGCA giving its green light to MAX aircraft in August 2021, Akasa Air signed a deal with Boeing on November 26 last year to buy 72 MAX aircraft.
The company said by the end of FY22-23, the airline will have 18 aircraft and thereafter, will add 12-14 aircraft every 12 months. This will make up its order of 72 aircraft to be delivered over a period of five years, it added.