Akasa Air: My first experience aboard the Boeing 737-MAX

One of the key features to differentiate the older and the MAX aircraft is to look at the split-tip winglets and engine chevron design.

BHPian sasta_rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is about my first flying experience with Akasa Air from AMD-BLR.

Being an aviation enthusiast and working for the airline industry, I was very excited to hear about the dawn of a brand new airline, Akasa Air, in India. Founded by late Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala sir, Akasa Air received their first (of 72 order) Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (VT-YAA) in June 2022 and flew their first commercial flight on August 7, 2022.

Akasa Air is the largest operator of this aircraft type in India after Spicejet and the defunct Jet Airways. The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was grounded worldwide after two catastrophic incidents: one of Lion Air (Indonesia) and one of Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopia) back in October 2018 and March 2019, respectively. After a lot of backlash from the airlines, pilot's union and the aviation regulators, Boeing finally gave the fix to the aircraft's Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) system, which had caused the two crashes that claimed 346 lives.

I was very eager to fly this aircraft type after Akasa came into life, but I was wondering which route to opt? Akasa has Mumbai (BOM) and Bengaluru (BLR) as their base, from where they operate flights to other destinations majorly.

I had been to Ahmedabad on December 2022 in IndiGo and was looking for return flights back to Bengaluru. That is when it hit me that why not try Akasa? I downloaded their mobile app, searched for the AMD-BLR flights, voila! I got the return flight for 5000/- odd rupees non-stop while IndiGo was offering the same route for a price of 9000/- odd rupees. I straightaway booked the flight QP-1315 (AMD-BLR) which departs at 17:35 hrs local time from AMD.

On the departure day, I headed to the airport two hours before the STD. Check-In was very smooth and quick. At that time, Akasa Air had comparatively less departures due to which the queue at counters were not as long as that of IndiGo! Akasa have smartly chosen young employees for the check-in desk, ticketing counters and terminal duties. The ingress to aircraft was not via the aero-bridge, which I do not prefer for domestic flights. When the boarding time approached closer, an Akasa Air executive came, advised us to get into the bus which dropped us near the aircraft parked in the bay. Me, as well as other aviation geeks, were excited to click the aircraft and experience the flight.

Clicked this beautiful view when the bus door was closed, as cleaning of the aircraft interiors were in progress.

Beautiful sunset and the matching livery: what else can an AVGeek be proud of?!

I could see the aircraft getting prepped for the flight: fuel lines connected to the wings, pilot performing his walk-around checks, catering truck supplying the food for us to hog in-flight and ground crew busy with luggage and cargo. The aircraft I was flying that day was the VT-YAC (third aircraft delivered to Akasa). Those chevron-shaped CFM LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines were adding even more beauty to the aircraft overall. Compared to the previous generations of the Boeing 737, the 737 MAX aircraft has an increased landing gear height to accommodate the CFM LEAP engines and to maintain the required ground clearance. Due to this, the LEAP engine mounts are also on the higher side compared to the previous generations.

Once I got inside the aircraft, the cabin lighting, neatness and seats felt futuristic. Cabin crew (air hostess) welcomed me on-board with a genuine smile and greetings! I buckled-up myself in seat 10A (window seat) which gave me a clear view of those beautiful engines and the wings, which is also unique compared to the older generations.

I expected the seats to be filled, but once doors were closed for departure, only the front and the aft region was full. I was hopping between seats for an even better outside view at cruise altitude.

Finally, getting this wing view from Akasa Air's B737-MAX aircraft was a dream come true!

One of the key features to differentiate the older and the MAX aircraft is to look at the split-tip winglets and engine chevron design. Once boarding was completed, we were ready to start the taxi towards the runway. The aircraft was pushed back, and then the engines spooled up to life. Damn! It felt soothing and I did not feel any disturbance, unlike in older aircraft types, where we get a headache due to the engine sound. As we reached closer tto the runway, we were ready for take-off, the MAX slowly picked up pace and I could feel the lift-off. Gears-up, and after a steep bank (turn), the flight was ready to head to BLR.

For the flight, I had pre-booked a Cold Coffee from the Café Akasa Menu. To my disappointment, I was served the Amul's Kool Café, and I had expected their own branded Cold Coffee. Never-mind, since it was an evening, I just settled down with my drink watching the beautiful sunset. After cruising for some time, I fell asleep. It was time for the descent to approach BLR airport. I looked at the time, and we were 15 mins early than the STA. It is always a happy feeling when you arrive before time to any destination!

However, after butter-smoooth landing at BLR, it was the aero-bridge from where we passengers headed towards the baggage belt. Overall, it was a good experience with the new airline, long way to go. With their expanding fleet, other airlines will have a tough time to compete with Akasa, especially for Air India and IndiGo.

Let us see how these big boys rule the Indian sky!

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