Today, Akasa Air, India's newest airline, announced it is adding Bagdogra and Bhubaneshwar as its 15th and 16th domestic destinations, respectively. Flights between Bagdogra and Bengaluru, between Pune and Bhubaneshwar, and Bengaluru and Bhubaneshwar will commence on April 17th, 2023, with a total of 14 weekly flights, thereby allowing the airline to strengthen its domestic presence in the eastern part of the country.
The daily non-stop flights between Bengaluru and Bagdogra will depart from Bengaluru at 7:30 AM, arriving at Bagdogra at 10:15 AM. The service is set to depart Bagdogra at 10:55 AM and return to Bengaluru at 1:45 PM.
The flights between Bengaluru and Bhubaneshwar and between Bhubaneshwar and Pune will also be on a daily basis, except Saturday flights which have slightly different schedules than the other days of the week. All these flights are non-stop.
Akasa Air's outlook for new routes
Beginning flights from Bagdogra will boost the links between various areas of West Bengal and Bengaluru, one of India's most important cities. In the seven months since its opening, the airline has created a powerful national system by connecting big cities to smaller towns and cities.
Commenting on the announcement, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Akasa Air, said,
"We are delighted to announce services from Bagdogra, our first destination in the state of West Bengal. Known for its serene landscapes and expansive tea estates, Bagdogra has been garnering growing interest among travellers from across the country. The hill station also serves as a getaway to the northeastern states of India and the improvement in air connectivity will further boost the economic activity in the city. We are confident that travellers on this route will appreciate our service and offerings."
Akasa Air is making its way into the state of Orissa with the launch in Bhubaneshwar, demonstrating the airline's dedication to enhancing its operations across India.
Regarding the new Bhubaneshwar routes, Praveen Iyer said,
"As the fastest growing airline in the country we are delighted to add Bhubaneshwar to our ever-expanding network, marking our arrival in Orissa. Bhubaneshwar is a scenic green and clean city with a strong cultural heritage rooted in ancient temples and rich architecture. Having seamless connectivity at affordable fares across major cities such as Bengaluru and Pune will boost travel and tourism for the historic city, and we look forward to adding more destinations to the flight map of the country."
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The rapid growth of Akasa Air
Since its launch in August 2022 as the newest Indian budget airline, Akasa Air has acquired 19 planes from Boeing and other lessors. This has enabled it to make an impact in the huge Indian market.
Earlier this month, Akasa Air had over 1 million paying customers and has offered more than 700 flights each week connecting 16 cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Bagdogra, Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, and Varanasi.
Also, earlier this month, Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube shocked many by announcing that the airline was closing in on a triple-digit aircraft order by the end of the year. It is possible this may be announced at the upcoming Paris Airshow.
For more insight into Akasa Air, watch our interview with co-founder and Head of Operations Neelu Khatri, one of the few female aviation leaders in the country below: