Akasa Air gets DGCA licence to start commercial flights

New Delhi, July 07: Akasa Air, India's newest airline has got the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) permission to start commercial flights on Thursday. The startup carrier, backed by billionaire and ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala will start services in late July.

"We are pleased to announce the receipt of our Air Operator Certificate (AOC). This is a significant milestone, enabling us to open our flights for sale and leading to the start of commercial operations," Akasa Air tweeted.

"The grant of the AOC is the final step of a comprehensive and rigorous process laid down by the DGCA and marks the satisfactory completion of all regulatory and compliance requirements for the airline's operational readiness," it said.

The airline recently said it is committed to being on track to receive its first aircraft in India by mid-June and launch commercial operations by July 2022. It is also plans to fly 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023 across domestic routes in the country. The focus would be on the metro to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, the airlines noted.

The Mumbai-based airline, registered as SNV Aviation, received the mandatory no-objection certificate from the civil aviation ministry in October last year.