NEW DELHI: India's Akasa Air, a start-up low-cost carrier looking to take advantage of increasing domestic demand and launch international flights, will place a "significantly" large order for new narrowbody planes this year, said its chief executive.

Out of a total order for 72 aeroplanes that must be delivered by March 2027, the airline, which is just 200 days old, now operates 17 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Vinay Dube stated in an interview that "we are planning to put another aircraft order by the end of this year that is going to be much greater than the 72 aircraft order we have placed."

The newly placed order would be for narrowbody aircraft, said the co-founder of Akasa and former CEO of the now-ground, bankrupt full-service airline Jet Airways.

Budget carriers normally prefer to utilise a single narrowbody type to help control costs, however, Dube did not specify whether the order would go to Boeing or Airbus in his statement.

The order plans come at a time when travel demand in India has experienced a dramatic recovery following COVID-19, giving it the world's aviation market with the fastest rate of growth, with capacity exceeding 2019 levels and passenger counts inching near.

In an effort to update its ageing fleet and compete with Gulf rivals like Emirates for international passenger business, Air India announced the largest single airline order ever on Tuesday, ordering 470 jets.

Indian airlines are expected to acquire 1,500 to 1,700 jets over the next couple of years, including maybe 500 planes from IndiGo, the largest airline in the nation and a competitor of Akasa said the  consultant CAPA India, 

In order to meet the requirements of the Indian government, Akasa must have 20 aircraft in its fleet by the end of the next three months, Mr Dube said. "By the end of the year, we want to be flying globally." The airline plans to fly to locations in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East that are serviced by the 737 MAX, he said.

In the domestic market, Dube said Akasa would concentrate on its plan to link smaller cities with the nation's major metros at a time when demand is still robust despite expensive ticket costs.

"Everything is growing gangbusters," he said. "The demand in India as a whole is going to continue to grow and grow and grow."

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