Akasa enters pact with AAHL, to have 50 departures daily from Navi Mumbai airport by next summer

About 60 per cent of the passenger catchment for both the airports is the same, Dube said, stressing that there exists a wide range of catchment which will be unique for the new airport.

Low-cost carrier Akasa Air on Friday announced a tie-up with Adani Airport Holdings to operate from the conglomerate-run Navi Mumbai airport once it begins operations in late-August.

The city-headquartered airliner will have 15 domestic departures from the airport initially, which will go up to 50 by the end of the winter schedule, its Founder and Chief Executive Vinay Dube said. A few days ago, larger rival Indigo had announced a similar tie-up to operate from the new airport in the satellite city of Navi Mumbai.

Dube said the carrier is not looking at consolidating its presence at the new airport, which is being built at an investment of Rs 20,000 crore. The company will operate both from the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, which is also run by the Adani group, and also the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, Dube said. Starting flights from the new airport will take the daily departures from the country’s financial capital to over 80, he said.

About 60 per cent of the passenger catchment for both the airports is the same, Dube said, stressing that there exists a wide range of catchment which will be unique for the new airport.

Another company official said Mumbai has been capacity-deprived for over a decade and the passenger volume growth at the financial capital at under 4 per cent annually, has been trailing the national averages of 6-7 per cent despite its stature of being the financial capital. The official exuded confidence that given this situation, the NMIA will attract traffic.

The Akasa officials did not spell out any details on the costing front or the incentives thrown in by the airport operator. They did not share any details on the slots offered as well, pending some permissions to fly or operate from the airport.

The senior company official told reporters that by end of FY27, Akasa will park 10 planes at the airport.

AAHL’s Chief Executive Arun Bansal said Akasa is among its inaugural airline partners. ”Their rapid growth and forward-looking approach make them an ideal partner in NMIA’s journey to becoming a key domestic and international hub,” he added.

In its initial phase, NMIA will handle 20 million passengers and 0.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo annually, with ultimate capacity expanding to 90 million passengers and 3.2 MMT cargo, as per a statement.