AKASA AIR TAKES DELIVERY OF THE FIRST OF ITS SEVENTY-TWO AIRCRAFT FROM BOEING
Left to right:
Ed Clark, Vice President 737 program, Boeing, Priya Mehra, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Akasa Air, Suresh Kumar, General Manager – EIS & AOC Process, Akasa Air, Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Boeing, Capt, Kunal Khajuria, Senior Captain, Akasa Air, Aditya Ghosh, Co-Founder, Akasa Air, Daniel Saldana, VP – Maintenance & Engineering, Akasa Air, Marc Baer, President, Griffin Asset Management, Mike Lombardi, Vice President, Marketing, Griffin Asset Management, Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India
Mumbai, 16th June, 2022 – Akasa Air, India’s newest airline took delivery of its much anticipated first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in Seattle, USA. With a strong commitment to democratise the skies, the airlines’ total order of 72 aircraft includes an initial delivery of 18 aircraft by March 2023, followed by delivery of the remaining 54 aircraft over the course of the next four years.
Commenting on the successful delivery, Vinay Dube – Founder, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air said, “This is indeed a symbolic milestone in the journey of Akasa Air, bringing us one step closer to the process of obtaining our Air Operator’s Permit (AOP) and leading to our commercial launch. While we are extremely happy with this achievement, we want to keep ourselves focussed on the task of delivering on our vision to transform India’s air transportation ecosystem, support the nation’s economic growth engine and help fellow Indians chase their dreams”.
“We are grateful to Boeing and Griffin for their trust in us and supporting us early in our journey. I, along with our team, are looking forward to receiving our first aircraft in Delhi early next week as it arrives from Seattle”. Dube added.
“We are honored to deliver the first 737 MAX to Akasa Air, India’s newest airline focused on making air travel inclusive and affordable for all,” said Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. “Flying an advanced, environmentally progressive 737 MAX fleet with greater fuel efficiency and lower operating costs will enable Akasa Air to profitably serve the Indian market while passing those savings on to its passengers.”
The 737 MAX family delivers superior efficiency, flexibility and reliability while reducing fuel use and carbon emissions. Providing the lowest seat-mile costs for a single-aisle airplane as well as high dispatch reliability and an enhanced passenger experience, the 737 MAX will be one of the key factors in ensuring that Akasa Air has a competitive edge in its home market.
