Aviation expansion: Akasa Air eyes Kenya, Egypt, East Africa routes; upbeat on Boeing delivery schedule, says CEO

Akasa Air is evaluating new routes to Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and other international destinations as part of its next phase of overseas expansion, CEO and founder Vinay Dube said. The three-year-old airline, which has grown steadily since its launch, now feels “very good” about its Boeing aircraft delivery schedule.“Our aircraft are capable of hitting the shores of East Africa. Absolutely, it can go to Mauritius and on the southern side, it can go to Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt… We can also go into Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan… Boeing 737 MAX is also capable of going deep into South Asia. All will be considered,” Dube told PTI in an interview.He said Akasa Air’s international network will continue expanding “on the right path” and that the airline will soon announce services to Sharjah. Currently, the airline operates flights to six international cities — Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, and Phuket — along with 24 domestic destinations.The airline’s international share of Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) has reached 20 per cent and is expected to rise to around 30 per cent by March 2027, Dube said. ASK measures an airline’s total passenger-carrying capacity.Akasa Air, which currently operates 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, expects to add “more than one aircraft” this year and holds firm orders for 226 planes. “We feel very good about our delivery schedule. We have more predictability now,” Dube said, noting that the airline plans to restart pilot hiring in 2026, mainly for first officers.Earlier this month, the US Federal Aviation Administration allowed Boeing to increase monthly production of its 737 MAX jets to 42 from 38, easing delivery backlogs.Dube also said Akasa Air aims to finalise new codeshare and interline partnerships in the next financial year. The airline already has a codeshare tie-up with Etihad Airways. “We need to be a little bigger to be an attractive partner for a number of codeshare and interline requirements that other airlines have,” he said, quoted PTI.Responding to reports of operational lapses flagged by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Dube said, “All the observations have been addressed to the satisfaction of the regulator and there is no cause for safety concern at all.”The airline remains financially strong and is exploring an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the next two to five years. “We are well-capitalised,” Dube said. In August, Akasa raised fresh funds from investors including Premji Invest and Claypond Capital to support its growth.On plans for wide-body or regional aircraft, Dube said the company continues to evaluate options based on long-term economic viability. “If we think it is sustainably positive for us, then we will jump into the wide-body mix, but so far, our analysis has not concluded that it is,” he said.Akasa Air currently offers an all-economy class configuration across its fleet.