Indian startup airline Akasa Air took the delivery of its first 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing. The airline had been waiting for this plane for quite some time as most of its remaining formalities for starting operations depend on it.
First MAX delivered
Earlier today, Akasa Air announced the delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in Seattle. This is the first of the 72 MAX airplanes it has on order and the first of the 18 it plans to have by March 2023. Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, commented,
“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.”
Vinay Dube, founder, MD, and CEO of Akasa Air, also noted the importance of this milestone event, saying that this brings them one step closer “to the process of obtaining our AOP [Air Operator Permit] and leading to our commercial launch…”
The airline is moving full steam ahead for the planned launch next month, having hired pilots, cabin crew, and engineers as well as several top executives for key departments.
Recent developments
Akasa’s communications team has been actively providing updates in the last few months about the various developments within the airline. Just last month, we got the first glimpse of the airline’s first MAX with the registration number VT-YAA. Days before that, we learned that it was allocated the airline code QP for all its future flights.
In May, we also got to know through Akasa’s social media post that it has given the responsibility of reservation and retailing system to Minneapolis-based Navitaire – an Amadeus company that provides technology and business solutions to the airline industry.
The most recent update was about its decision to go for the sale and leaseback model for five MAX aircraft in partnership with Irish…