Akasa Air Orders 150 Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

DALLAS — Indian ultra-low-cost carrier Akasa Air (QP) has ordered 150 of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, placing the airline in a position where it could launch flights on international routes.

The order, unveiled at the Wings India 2024 airshow at Begumpet on Thursday, is significant in that no other carrier in India’s history has ever placed an order of this size. This milestone makes QP the first Indian airline in the history of civil aviation to reach a firm order book of over 200 aircraft in less than a year and a half of operations.

India is now the third largest buyer of aircraft, after China and the United States, according to the country’s Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who took to Twitter to congratulate the growing airline.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1747880252473544706

The Boeing 737-10, 737-8-200

Akasa Air has placed an order for two variants of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, the 737-10 and the 737-8-200, the largest version of the 737 MAX family and the high-density version of the 737-8, respectively. The Indian ULCC hopes that this fleet expansion will enable it to become one of the world’s leading airlines. QP's CEO, Vinay Dube, said the historic order would put the carrier on the path to becoming one of the leading airlines in the world.

Dube said, “We are extremely confident about Akasa’s financial stability and growth potential, but what we are most proud of is what Akasa and its employees have been able to achieve in terms of reliability and service excellence while pursuing the highest standards of safety in global aviation.”

The fact that the QP order comes in what has been a dire month for Boeing is good news for the American company. The landmark order is somewhat surprising given that the aircraft manufacturer has come under fire in recent days.

Boeing has been subject to global scrutiny over its 737-9 aircraft after an incident on an Alaska Airlines (AS) plane on January 5, when a panel came off mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing. However, QP’s order does not include any of Boeing's 737-9s. No Indian airline operates the MAX variant.

The privately owned Indian budget airline was founded in 2021. Its maiden flight was on August 7, 2022, operating between Mumbai and Ahmedabad using a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. QP operates scheduled flights to 22 cities in India with its fleet of 22 aircraft. With this order, India’s fastest-growing airline nearly triples its Boeing 737 order book.

Featured image: VT-YAV Akasa Air Boeing 737-8 200. Photo: Daniel Gorun/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/akasa-air-new-boeing-737-8-200/