Akasa Air, which started operations less than a month ago, has slashed fares on key routes, including Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Bengaluru-Kochi, by as much as 60% since ticket sales for its flights opened on July 23.
A one-way ticket for a single person on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route for September 3 (Saturday) can be booked for Rs 1,597 under the Saver category and Rs 3,472 under the Flexi category, according to Akasa Air’s website. The same ticket was priced at Rs 3,945 under the Saver category and Rs 4,341 under the Flexi category when the bookings opened.
Similarly, the fare for a one-way Bengaluru-Kochi flight for the same date begins at Rs 2,347 under the Saver category and Rs 3,827 under the Flexi category. The price on the same route was Rs 3,483 and Rs 3,778 under Saver and Flexi sections, respectively, in July.
The lower fares will help Akasa Air increase its passenger load factor in the face of stiff competition from rivals like IndiGo, Vistara and Go First.
Akasa Air had taken to the skies on August 7 with its maiden flight on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, while the Bengaluru-Kochi route got its first flight on August 12. The airline received the air operator certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on July 7. It has three Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet.
On Wednesday, the cap on domestic airfares were removed. The civil aviation ministry had imposed them based on flight durations when services were resumed on May 25, 2020, after a two-month lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the removal of airfare caps, consumers can expect forward bookings at discounted rates as competition increases, especially on competitive routes. However, the fares may continue to remain high on the monopoly routes.
