It is a new awakening in the history of civil aviation in India as we are seeing the democratisation of the industry: Shri Scindia

That day is not far when along with rail transport and road transport civil aviation will become the bulwark of the transportation in India:  Shri Scindia

New Delhi: Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) V.K Singh have inaugurated the First Flight of Akasa Air (QP1101) from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.

The event was organised in virtual mode. Hon’ble Minister Shri Scindia along with Hon’ble MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation, General (Dr.) VK Singh (Retd.) and Shri. Rajiv Bansal, Secretary MoCA flagged of the first flight of Akasa Air from the Delhi which took off from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (T1) in Mumbai on Sunday, August 07, at 10:05 AM. Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Founder Akasa Air, Mrs. Rekha Jhunjhunwala and Mr Vinay Dube, CEO and founder, Akasa Air, Neelu Khatri Co-Founder and Senior Vice President Akasa Air were also present in the event.

Speaking at the event, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said, “It is a new awakening in the history of civil aviation in India. It is because of the foresightedness and visionary goal and zeal of Hon’ble Prime Minister that we have seen first time in India, the democratisation of the civil aviation. Earlier it was an industry which was considered very elitist, but now because of his vision we are seeing a transformation over last eight years in terms of accessibility, availability affordability and inclusion in the civil aviation industry which we have never seen before. In this new environment I would like to welcome Akasa Air and I am very confident that in coming days Akasa Air will certainly make a very important mark.”

Hon’ble Minister further added, “Over the last eight years India’s civil aviation industry has been completely transformed. Under UDAN scheme, we have 425 routes aiming to catch up 1000 routes, 68 new airports aiming to touch 100 airports. In next 4 years we are expecting 40 crore travellers through civil aviation in India. That day is not far when along with rail transport and road transport civil aviation will become the bulwark of the transportation in India.”

Minister of State for Civil Aviation (Gen) Dr V.K Singh (Retd) congratulated Akasa Air and said, “It is a great occasion when a new airline starts flying in the sky of India. We wish you all the best and I am sure that in the coming days we will see a great amount of passenger services that others will strive to catch up to you.”

Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Devendra Fadnavis in his video message said, “Under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has already initiated several actions that have started showing results. Maharashtra is progressing swiftly towards all round development of civil aviation industry in the state. The vision of the state government is to make Maharashtra a preferred investment destination for aviation in India with a focus on creating cost-effective aviation infrastructure, seamless regional air connectivity and a sustainable aviation ecosystem. On this backdrop it is praiseworthy that Akasa Airlines is launching its newest commercial Airlines in India today.”

Secretary of Civil Aviation Shri Rajiv Bansal said, “It is a momentous day for civil aviation sector. We are very confident that with this addition to our domestic airline fraternity, there will be new benchmarks for customers service and new opportunities for customers in the country.”

This new flight connection between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is expected to significantly boost the economic activities in the region and provide on time hassle free services to the travellers.

Akasa Air is the 7th schedule airline with brand name of SNV Aviation having Corporate Headquarters at Mumbai with Boeing Max – 8 aircraft. Akasa Air plans to be a low-cost carrier with single fleet and all economy seats. Akasa Air is further planning to expand its activities to 72 aircrafts in next five years which will significantly enhance the domestic aviation services in India.