Akasa Air says ‘confident’ about Boeing, orders 150 MAX aircraft

HYDERABAD, January 18

India’s Akasa Air said on Thursday it had ordered 150 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody planes, showcasing its confidence in the troubled planemaker as the budget carrier seeks to fly to more destinations at home and abroad.

‘India will need 2,840 new jets, 41k pilots’

India will need 2,840 new aircraft and 41,000 pilots as well as 47,000 technical staff in the next 20 years, Remi Maillard, president and managing director of Airbus India and South Asia, said during the event.

‘traffic may reach 300 million by 2030’

The number of domestic air passengers in India is expected to double to about 300 million annually by 2030 and the country would still have a vast untapped market, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

This is the first major order announcement for Boeing’s MAX jetliner programme since a mid-air cabin panel blowout in the United States early this month, although Akasa’s order does not include the 737 Max 9 version which is in the spotlight after the incident.

The order was announced at the “Wings India” air show in the southern city of Hyderabad, which has attracted planemakers, airlines and government officials as they make the most of India’s travel boom, with a greater focus on international routes. “We feel very confident about the aircraft type that we have … even seeing Boeing’s commitment to the way they’ve handled this problem,” Priya Mehra, Akasa’s chief legal, regulatory and strategic relations officer, said.

Akasa’s order for 737 MAX 10 and MAX 8-200 does not include the MAX 9 version, which has been largely grounded over the Alaska Airlines cabin panel blowout incident. Mehra said the airline was not looking at diversifying its fleet. — Reuters