Kochi,12 August 2022 : Akasa Air ,India’s newest airline, today inaugurated its service in Bangalore-Kochi-Bangalore sector . CIAL Managing Director Shri. S. Suhas IAS inaugurated Akasa’s maiden flight from Kochi.
Taking off from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 11:00hrs, Akasa Air’s QP 1353 arrived at Cochin International Airport at 12:04hrs. Subsequently the first flight from Cochin International Airport QP 1354 took off at 13:10 and arrived at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport at 14:15hrs. 13th August onwards, Akasa Air will offer double-daily flights in each direction on the Bengaluru-Kochi sector. Of the two daily services, the first one will arrive from Bangalore at 8.30hrs and return at 9.05 am. The second flight will be arriving at 1230 hrs and returning at 1.10 pm. Kochi topped the list of Akasa’s first phase of operation with 56 services catering to Kochi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore.
CIAL Managing Director S. Suhas IAS said that CIAL is happy that Kochi Airport has been given priority by Akasa for its first phase of operation. “CIAL cherishes the collaboration with Akasa. This will enhance the connectivity in this sector and will trigger a change in the airfare matrix. The efforts taken by the Hon. Chairman and the Board of Directors to bring in more airlines have started producing results. Commencement of Akasa’s operation exemplifies CIAL’s vision to offer optimum convenience and flexibility for the passengers ’’ Suhas added.
Shri. Praveen Iyer, Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa said that the airline is extremely grateful for the response it has received from travelers since the maiden flight which was flagged off by the Honourable Civil Aviation Minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia on 07 August. “ With this new Bengaluru – Kochi route, we look forward to our customers from these cities experiencing Akasa Air’s warm and efficient customer service and reliable operations at affordable fares.”
A M Shabeer (Executive Director, CIAL ), Dinesh Kumar (Head -operations, CIAL), Saji Daniel (Chief Financial Officer, CIAL) participated.
With the commencement of Akasa’s operation, Kochi airport will see 100 departures to Bangalore alone in a week. IndiGo, AirAsia, GoFirst, and Alliance Air currently operating in the sector.
Akasa air has started its commercial operations with two aircraft and plans to induct two 737 MAX aircraft each month, to establish a strong pan-India presence, with a focus on metro to tier 2 & 3 route connectivity. Akasa Air’s fleet size will be 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023 and over the next four years, the airline will add 54 additional aircraft, taking its total fleet size to 72 aircraft