Bengaluru: Founder & CEO Akasa Air Vinay Dube during a press conference after completing six month of operations, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023.
Akasa Air is going to hire nearly 1,000 people by March 2024. Let’s take a look at India’s newest airline’s expansion plans.
Akasa Air, India's newest airline, is planning to hire almost 1,000 additional staff members and expand its fleet by March 2024. CEO Vinay Dube revealed that the airline's total employee count would rise to over 3,000 by that time, including 1,100 pilots and flight attendants. The airline, which launched seven months ago, will also begin international operations by the end of this year, but destinations have not yet been announced.
Aircraft orders and expansion plans
Akasa Air will be placing an order for a "three-digit aircraft order" by the end of 2023, Dube stated. The airline has already ordered 72 Boeing 737 Max planes, 19 of which are already in operation, with the 20th scheduled for induction in April. Akasa Air aims to expand its fleet to 28 planes in the next financial year, adding nine aircraft to its current fleet. The airline currently operates 110 flights per day, and Dube said it would increase to 150 flights per day by the end of the summer season.
Hiring process and challenges
Dube explained that hiring was always done in advance to allow for training, and the number of employees is based on the number of aircraft scheduled for delivery. When asked if post-pandemic hiring is a challenge, he stated that the airline was fortunate to attract good talent and would continue to focus on being employee-centric.
International operations
Dube said the airline was currently working with the Ministry of Aviation to determine routes and traffic rights available for possible international destinations. He was unable to provide specifics at this time, but he did confirm that the airline is considering both east and west locations.
Recent achievements
In February, Akasa Air transported 361,000 passengers, accounting for 3% of the domestic market share. Its on-time performance was 87%, according to the latest official data. Dube expressed satisfaction with the airline's progress so far and said he was delighted with the achievement.
What the CEO said about Akasa’s targets
Dube has said that he is extremely happy with the airlines’ recent achievements. However, according to him, Akasa is not chasing any position in aviation.
"We have no market share targets, not chasing any position in aviation, and we have got a target to make customers happy, a target to make our employees happy. That is what we are doing and we can do that, that is sustainable if we have got a very strong cost structure. So, those are the three pillars we are focusing on," he said.
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