Summary
- Akasa Air will fly to Jeddah from Mumbai and Ahmedabad in July, targeting increased Saudi-Indian tourism and trade.
- The airline already flies to Doha, with plans for further expansion to Kuwait and Riyadh.
- Akasa Air has also recently expanded to several new domestic destinations.
Indian low-cost carrier Akasa Air is rapidly expanding its international presence and has announced its second overseas destination just weeks after launching flights to Doha in March. The carrier will next fly to Jeddah in the Middle East, commencing flights from Mumbai in July, followed by Ahmedabad.
Jeddah is Akasa’s 2nd international destination
Akasa Air has announced that it has added Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as its second destination on its international network. The airline will connect Mumbai with Jeddah on July 15, starting with daily non-stop flights.
The airline will further enhance the route from July 21 by increasing the weekly flight frequency between the two destinations to 12. Furthermore, it will start flying between Ahmedabad and Jeddah twice weekly from July 20.
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
The airline seems to have chosen these routes considering the recent trends, with Saudi Arabia witnessing a 50% increase in Indian visitors in 2023. Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, commented,
“Our strategically designed connections linking Jeddah with two key Indian cities – Mumbai and Ahmedabad – will cater to a variety of tourists, fostering bilateral trade and tourism.”
It started with Doha
Akasa Air, which launched operations in 2022, has always had international ambitions. After rapidly expanding its domestic presence and increasing its fleet size to 20+, it announced Doha as its first overseas destination just 19 months after launch earlier this year.
On March 28, it commenced its first international flight between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Of course, rumors of the carrier targeting the Middle East for its first international flights had been circulating for months before that.
Photo: Akasa Air
Akasa Air has also been granted traffic rights for two other international destinations – Kuwait, and Riyadh – and will further expand its global presence in the coming months.
Plenty of progress
A quick scan of Akasa Air’s developments in the last few months paints a positive picture for the airline as it marches ahead in consolidating its business. In February, it commenced operations from Ayodhya, with daily flights starting in Pune and going via Delhi. Ayodhya recently came into the spotlight after the opening of a grand Hindu temple there, and all Indian airlines have been quick to add flights to the city.
On March 1, Akasa started operations from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu & Kashmir, connecting it with Mumbai with daily non-stop flights. This route further strengthened the budget carrier’s presence in North India. In April, the airline also added Prayagraj in the state of Uttar Pradesh as its 22nd destination and will connect the city with Mumbai starting May 25.
Photo: Yatrik Sheth | Shutterstock
Related
Mumbai-Srinagar Non-Stop: Akasa Air Adds Kashmir On Its Network Map
The airline will start this service on March 1.
Akasa has also been steadily increasing its fleet size. According to ch-aviation, the airline currently has 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in its fleet and expects delivery of more than 200 aircraft in the coming years. In March, the airline signed a long-term agreement with CAE for 737 MAX pilot training at its facilities in India.
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