Indian Airline Akasa Places Historic Order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

The Indian airline company “Acasa” announced on Thursday that it has submitted a request to purchase 150 Boeing 737 Max airplanes from the American aircraft manufacturer, “Boeing”, amid the controversy surrounding a plane door separation incident in early January.

The request described by Vinay Dubey, the CEO of the Indian company, is deemed “historic” and involves purchasing aircraft of the 737 MAX 10 and 737 MAX 8-200 models.

On the fifth of January, there was an incident of a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane experiencing a door separation shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport in the state of Oregon in the Northwestern United States, en route to Ontario in the state of California, resulting in the suspension of flights of this aircraft model.

The left door of an Alaska plane separated from the cabin mid-flight, causing a decrease in pressure. It was found on Sunday in the schoolyard of a school in Portland, Oregon, in the northwest of the United States. The plane had taken off from there to Ontario, California.

This request serves as positive news for the American company, which has been facing an official investigation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since January 11th.
The CEO of Boeing, Dave Calhoun, indicated that the company aims to identify the issue in its verification system.

Following the incident, the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered the suspension of the use of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in the United States.

“In order to ensure the safety of American passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the suspension of flights of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft until the completion of comprehensive inspection and maintenance procedures, as well as the analysis of collected data,” the agency said in a statement.

Mike Whitaker, the director of the American Aviation Agency, stated, “We are working to ensure that it does not happen again.

Our only concern is the safety of American passengers, and a Boeing 737-9 Max will not fly until we are completely sure that it is safe.”

The share of Boeing witnessed a decline on Tuesday to its lowest levels in two months, while increased scrutiny after the plane door incident may impact the company’s financial performance negatively.

Doubi confirmed that the airline company “Akasa” aims, through its purchase request, to become “one of the top 30 airlines in the world.” The company had requested the purchase of 76 Boeing aircraft since 2021.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced plans to construct 80 airports across the country by 2025.

With the new demand, Acasa Airlines has become “the first Indian company to confidently order more than 200 aircraft in 17 months,” said Indian Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a post on the “X” platform.

The minister pointed out that India has become the third largest country in the world in terms of aircraft purchases, following China and the United States.
In June, Sindia indicated that airlines will demand between 1200 and 1400 aircraft by 2028. (AFP)