After Air India, Akasa set to place large aircraft order in 2023: Report

Akasa Air was launched in mid-2022 in India, and is expected to begin international operations soon (Image Source: Twitter/AkasaAir)

A couple of days after Air India placed one of the largest aircraft order in aviation industry, another Indian carrier, Akasa Air, is set to place a "substantially" large order this year to expand its fleet, Reuters reported on February 16.

The airline, which was launched in August last year, is also targeting to begin international operations soon, according to its chief executive officer Vinay Dubey who spoke to the news agency.

Akasa had earlier placed an order for 72 Boeing 737 MAX jets, that are to be delivered by March 2027. The airline has so far received 17 among them.

“Before the end of this year we are going to place another aircraft order that is going to be substantially larger than the 72 aircraft order we have placed,” Dube was quoted as saying. He, however, did not reveal the specific number of aircraft which the company is targeting to purchase.

The budget carrier will go for narrowbody planes in its next order, Dube said, but did not specify whether they would approach Boeing or Airbus.

On February 14, Air India announced it was purchasing a total of 470 aircraft in two separate orders placed with Boeing and Airbus. From the latter, it is buying 250 planes, comprising 140 A320neo, 70 A321neo, 34 A350-1000 and six A350-900 aircraft. From Boeing, the order is for 220 jets -- 190 Boeing MAX aircraft, 20 Dreamliners (787-9) and 10 777-9 planes.

Akasa to go international

Dube said the carrier will be eligible to fly internationally in around three months, after it would add three more planes to its fleet, taking it to 20. As per the norms, an aviation company with 20 aircraft-fleet is permitted to begin operations on international routes.

“By the end of the year, we hope to be flying internationally," said Dube, who was earlier the chief executive of the now-grounded Jet Airways.

The Akasa CEO also noted that the airline will focus on South and Southeast Asia, along with Middle East, after launching its international operations.

Domestically, it will continue to focus on its strategy to connect smaller cities with the bigger metropolitans, he added.