Akasa Air to Receive First Boeing 737 MAX 10 in 2027

Late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air placed an order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX jets in the Aero India Airshow event held at Hyderabad Begumpet Airport in January. Unlike the first order, the airline focused on high-density configured aircraft in the second order. This order mainly comprises MAX 8-200 and MAX 10 variants.

Now, on the sidelines of the CAPA India Aviation Summit, Akasa Air Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube has shared the timeline of the delivery of the first Boeing 737 MAX 10. This aircraft is yet to receive its certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Akasa Air to Receive Boeing 737 MAX 10 in 2027

Dube said that Akasa Air will receive its first B737 MAX 10 in 2027. He expects the FAA to certify this aircraft within the next three years. This high-density configured aircraft will help the airline increase its capacity on busy domestic and international routes. In January 2024, Akasa Air placed a $20 billion order with Boeing to ensure a steady delivery stream beyond 2027. All the aircraft will be delivered by 2032.

According to the current timeline, it is expected that the aircraft will be certified by 2025 or 2026. Western carriers like American Airlines and Ryanair are among the other customers for the Boeing 737 MAX 10. United and Delta Airlines expressed their intention to shift the MAX 10 order to MAX 8/9/A321neo because of the extensive certification delays.

Akasa Air has a fleet of 24 aircraft, with one more currently under production. This under-production aircraft will be the second Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 for Akasa Air. In its own configuration, the airline operates the MAX 8 with 189 seats and the MAX 8-200 with 197 seats. Some jets of Akasa Air have business-class seats, as they were inherited from Jet Airways. It previously planned to replace the A++ cabin with economy, but it seems that the plan has been postponed.

In an all-economy configuration, a Boeing 737 MAX 10 can accommodate 230 passengers, equivalent to the Airbus A321neo. However, when it comes to range, the scenario becomes the opposite. While the A321neo provides a range of more than 3,700 nautical miles, the range of MAX 10 reduces to 3,100 nautical miles.

Akasa Air: Growing Fleet and Network

The newest major carrier of India has rapidly expanded its fleet and network. The airline started operations in August 2022 and within one year, it had acquired a fleet of 20 aircraft. This made the airline eligible to start international flights.

It has recently announced the launch of its third international destination: Riyadh. It has already launched flights between Mumbai and Doha in March. Jeddah will become the airline’s second international destination with non-stop flights from Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Akasa Air has been asking the Indian government for flying rights to Dubai, but the bilateral rights have been exhausted. CEO Vinay Dube has confirmed that it has received rights to operate in the UAE Capital Abu Dhabi. It is currently operating in 23 cities in its network. Gorakhpur became the latest city to get Akasa Air operations.

Conclusion

Despite the certification concerns, Akasa Air Chief is confident that the Boeing 737 MAX 10 variant will be certified by 2027. The airline is expecting to receive the first MAX 10 in the same year. With this, it will become the first Indian carrier to have this variant in the fleet.

What do you think about the certification delays of Boeing 737 MAX 10? Discuss in the comment section.