India’s Akasa Air to fly to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Akasa Air

Akasa Air, India’s newest low-cost airline, plans to start flights to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia by the end of October.

“We have traffic rights for Kuwait, Riyadh and Jeddah, all of which we hope to launch by the end of the IATA summer season,” founder and CEO Vinay Dube told the state-run Press Trust of India.

The IATA summer season starts from late March to late October.

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The airline started four non-stop flights a week this month, linking Mumbai and Doha.

Dube said the airline cannot file for international flying rights until slot approvals are received from the foreign governments.

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The airline is “financially solid”, Dube said, aiming to be among the world’s top 30 by 2030.

The airline, which started flying on August 7, 2022, operates 23 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. In January, Akasa Air placed an order for 150 Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

Earlier this month, moneycontrol.com, an Indian financial website, reported that Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, has acquired shares in India’s budget carrier SpiceJet.