By Ruchi Singh
Alaska Air released pictures of its first Boeing 737 Max. The airline, which investor Rahul Jhunjunwala backs, is slated to receive its first Boeing 737 Max around mid-June and intends to commence commercial operations by July. After an approximate two-month delay, Akasa Air released the Boeing 737 Max images from the American plane manufacturer’s production facility housed in Portland, USA.
The pictures showed the Boeing 737 Max sporting the airline’s signature Orange and Purple coloured livery, which some observers consider novel in the Indian Aviation market. Before this development, Akasa Air revealed its aircraft codesign – QP.
Indian Aviation will witness Akasa Air and Jet Airways operate in H2 2022. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently gave Jet Airways the necessary security clearance. Aviation watchdog, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), gave the reviving airlines its Air Operator Certificate (AOC); however, Akasa Air can only apply for the same once it receives the delivery of the planes for its fleet from Boeing.
Akasa Air intends to fly 18 aircraft across domestic routes by March next year. The airline emphasises on India’sIndia’s tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Apart from Akasa Air’s backing by ace investor Rakesh Jhunjunwala, the airline is led by two veterans of the Indian aviation industry, Vinay Dube and Aditya Ghose. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) gave the airline a no-objection certificate (NOC) in August last year to commence commercial flight operations.
In late August last year, the DGCA gave the go-ahead to the “controversial” Boeing 737 Max, following which Akasa Air inked a deal for the procurement of 72 Boeing 737 Max’s. The airline said that its Boeing 737 Max fleet would be powered by the CFM LEAP B engine, known for its high fuel efficiency.
Akasa Air shared a glimpse of its plans to enhance passenger experience: “Providing the lowest seat-mile costs for a single-aisle airplane as well as high dispatch reliability and an enhanced passenger experience, the 737 Max is one of the strategic factors that will give Akasa Air a competitive edge in its dynamic home market.”
A flourishing economy coupled with a rising population is forecasted to create a high demand for commercial flights; this is expected to lead to the need for an estimated 1,000 new airplanes in the country over the next two decades, the airline highlighted.
When asked about what the purchase of 72 Boeing 737 Max planes for commercial flight operations in India and MAX Ops around the world, aviation analyst, Prashant Prabhakar told IA&D: “The DGCA has cleared them to fly, as have other regulators around the globe. The CAAC had issued an airworthiness directive last December regarding the entry of MAX back to service-subject to proper evaluation of updated software/hardware and re-training of pilots.”
“However, the resumption of the MAX might be less influenced by regulatory approval and more dependent on the demand. China has a strict zero covid policy meaning domestic air travel figures are yet to come back to pre-pandemic levels. In simple words, there isn’t much demand at the moment. Once the figures are back to normal and domestic aviation gathers traction, we might hear news of MAX getting back into service from operators,” Prabhakar added.
