Akasa Air's CEO, Vinay Dube, stated on Wednesday that in order to ensure a reliable operation, the low-cost carrier will choose to fly less and give up market share in the short term after some pilots have resigned from the airline. Dube informed employees via email that a small group of pilots had abandoned their duties without serving their mandatory contractual notice period, which resulted in flight disruptions between July and September, leading to last-minute cancellations.
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Akasa has initiated legal action against these pilots who left the airline prematurely. The pilot shortage has affected the airline's services, and many flights had to be canceled due to resignations. Most of these pilots have accepted offers from Air India Express, which operates the Boeing 737 family of aircraft, similar to Akasa. According to the latest available data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Reuters reported that Akasa's market share fell to 4.2 percent in August from 5.2 percent in the previous month.
Furthermore, Akasa's August numbers were lower than those of SpiceJet in the hierarchy of domestic carriers. Akasa had surpassed SpiceJet in terms of market share in June and remained ahead in July. Dube emphasized that they have a ten-year plan that covers pilot recruitment, training, and career upgrades, and they have enough pilots at various phases of their training to fly over 30 aircraft. They are poised to take delivery of additional aircraft and expand their domestic and international footprint.
Akasa has received permission to fly on international routes, allowing them to become an International Scheduled Operator. They are in the process of working with relevant authorities to acquire traffic rights and are targeting destinations within the range of a 737 MAX from India in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Any airline with a minimum of 20 aircraft in its fleet can launch international flights. As of August 1, Akasa received its 20th B737 Max plane from Boeing. Dube stated that the low-cost carrier will announce a 3-digit aircraft order by the end of this year to meet the growing travel demand. He emphasized that they prioritize reliability and customer satisfaction through detailed planning and an experienced team, which has allowed them to become one of the fastest-growing airlines in civil aviation history.