Akasa Air, a low-cost carrier, will now begin operations in July, roughly a month later than originally planned.
In a telephone interview over the weekend, Vinay Dube, the startup airline’s founder, managing director, and chief executive officer, stated, “The airline’s takeoff will slip over into July.” According to media sources, the airline would begin flying in June, with billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as an investor and former IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh as a co-founder.
The launch has been pushed back by a few weeks because the airline is yet to import an aircraft, after which it will get the air operator’s permit, which will pave the way for Akasa Air to apply for slots at airports. The airline will also have to carry out proving flights before it gets the green signal to take off.
A proving flight allows an operator to demonstrate to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) its ability to conduct the flight of a newly inducted aircraft safely and in accordance with rules and regulations.