Have stopped hiring pilots as there is sufficient strength: Akasa Air CEO

In September last year, Akasa Air was forced to cancel about 24 daily flights as around 43 pilots abruptly resigned to join rival carriers without serving their mandatory notice periods

Akasa Air has stopped hiring pilots as it now has sufficient strength to operate its current fleet of 24 aircraft and accommodate its incoming growth, said its Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube on Wednesday.

In September last year, Akasa Air was forced to cancel about 24 daily flights when around 43 pilots abruptly resigned to join rival carriers without serving their mandatory notice periods.

The airline was so distraught that it stated before Delhi High Court that it was in a “state of crisis” and it “may shut down”. However, the airline later clarified that there was no question of shutting down.

While speaking at the CAPA India Aviation Summit 2024, Dube said, “We have stopped hiring pilots. We have plenty of pilots for our current fleet. We have plenty of pilots for our growth. We are focused on building their skills.”

He mentioned that 3,000-5,000 young pilots in India are currently unemployed. Therefore, the more important issue is the right rate of pilot induction into the airline.

“We need a gestation period for highly skilled pilots so that they have ample avenues for upgrade and promotion. We are focused on it,” he observed.

There are no issues regarding skilled labour resources in India, as the country already provides skilled labour to the world.

Akasa Air, which conducted its first commercial flight in August 2022, placed an order in January for 150 B737 MAX aircraft with American planemaker Boeing. The airline now has a total of 226 MAX planes on order from Boeing.

Boeing has delivered 24 of the 226 planes. The airline received 19 planes in 2022-23 and five planes in 2023-24.

According to CAPA India, the airline is set to receive six planes from Boeing in 2024-25.