In a significant move to bolster its fleet and extend its reach, India’s Akasa Air has announced an order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody planes. The budget carrier, confident in Boeing’s commitment despite recent incidents, aims to enhance its domestic and international connectivity. The order, revealed at the “Wings India” air show in Hyderabad, marks a major milestone for Boeing’s MAX jetliner program.
This order comes as a notable development for Boeing, especially following a mid-air cabin panel blowout incident in the United States earlier this month. Akasa Air’s order includes the 737 MAX 10 and MAX 8-200 models but excludes the MAX 9 version, which has faced grounding issues after the Alaska Airlines incident.
“We feel very confident about the aircraft type that we have… even seeing Boeing’s commitment to the way they’ve handled this problem,” stated Priya Mehra, Akasa’s Chief Legal, Regulatory, and Strategic Relations Officer.
Akasa Air, currently operating 22 aircraft, remains focused on the 737 MAX series and has no plans to diversify its fleet. The airline is set to receive deliveries of a total of 204 planes over the next eight years, contributing to its expansion strategy.
While India’s aviation market experiences rapid growth, with travel demand surpassing plane supply, the majority of international traffic is still dominated by global carriers like Emirates. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia anticipates a surge in the country’s fleet size to 2,000 in the next decade, up from the current 700.
