AirAsia India to expand fleet; awaits nod to fly abroad

Even as it awaits overseas flying rights, budget airline AirAsia India plans to add another 17 aircraft to its fleet in the current fiscal. Accordingly, the airline which has about 23 aircraft will add 17 more in FY19-20. "Having completed 5 years of flying domestically, with a fleet of 23 aircraft, we are hoping to get relevant approvals to plan our international operations by the year-end," AirAsia India`S COO Sanjay Kumar, told IANS.

"We are looking at adding about 17 aircraft to our fleet by FY 19-20, which is currently at 23." Besides, the airline with a strong presence in the Northern and Southern hemisphere of India, now plans to add new domestic destinations in the eastern and western pats of the country.

"We have robust plans to expand our network grid across India, owing to the favourable and thriving aviation landscape," Kumar said. "As a budget airline, we frequently revisit our systems and processes, to keep our operating cost lean, while also standing by our entrenched brand ethos of making flying accessible to everyone and connecting as many destinations as we can in our domestic mandate."

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The airline plans to commence flights from New Delhi to Jaipur and Agartala. On September 20, the airline introduced additional flights from New Delhi to Kolkata. In August, the low cost carrier introduced daily flights between New Delhi and Chennai. Currently, AirAsia India has a fleet of 23 aircraft covering 20 destinations across the country.

The airline is a joint venture between Tata Sons and AirAsia Berhad. It commenced operations on June 12, 2014.