The newest airline company of India, Akasa Air within just a year of its commercial operations has got into a huge mess. Yes, you read it right! The company is going through a crisis state due to the mass pilot resignations. The airline has got the green signal to begin international flight operations.
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As per the airline, the company will begin commercial operations in the Middle East region, which caters to a huge number of flyers to and from India. Also, Vinay Dube clarified to the media that Akasa Air has no plans to shut down anytime soon.
In fact, the airline is providing huge bonuses to new pilots for working with the airline. “I urge you not to be alarmed or distracted by media headlines, especially those that are speculative and claim that the airline will shut down. We are never more confident about our future and continue to invest prudently, with longer-term financial success in focus,” Akasa Air Founder and CEO Vinay Dube told the staff on Wednesday.
Dube also said that the lack of pilots is a problem that the airline industry has faced for several years, and the company has a ten-year plan to cover areas like recruitment of pilots, training, and career advancement. “In fact, as of today, we have enough pilots at various phases of their training to fly over 30 aircraft,” he said.
However, on Tuesday, it was reported that the airline informed the Delhi High Court about the state of crisis and the sudden and abrupt resignation of more than 40 pilots who left the airline without serving their compulsory notice period.
SNV Aviation Private Limited, which flies under the brand name Akasa Air, has an order from the DGCA to “take coercive action against pilots who fail to comply with the mandatory notice period requirements, in terms of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR)…”.
The airline, which began flying in August last year and presently has a fleet of 20 aircraft, has obtained approval from the Civil Aviation Ministry for initiating international flights. The first overseas flight is possible by year-end. The airline is targeting locations within the scope of a Boeing 737 MAX from India in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, Dube said in a statement.
“The Ministry of Civil Aviation has recognised the strength of Akasa Air’s operations and we have been designated as an International Scheduled Operator. This new designation will allow us to fly internationally, enabling us to take one step closer to our dream of launching international operations before the end of this year.
We are now working with all relevant authorities on our request for traffic rights and will soon be able to announce the international destination we will fly to. We are targeting destinations within the range of a 737 MAX from India in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. We are also on track to announce a 3-digit aircraft order by the end of this year to serve the growing travel demand,” said Dube.
