Akasa Air co-founder Neelu Khatri resigns from airline

Akasa Air’s co-founder and senior vice-president for international operations, Neelu Khatri, has resigned from the three-year-old carrier, marking a notable exit from the founding leadership team.

The airline confirmed her departure on Thursday, saying Khatri “has decided to move on from the company to pursue a new direction in her professional journey.” It did not disclose her next role or future plans, news agency PTI reported.

Khatri was among the six original co-founders of Akasa Air, alongside Aditya Ghosh, Anand Srinivasan, Belson Coutinho, Bhavin Joshi and Praveen Iyer. The airline is led by founder and chief executive Vinay Dube. She also served on the company’s executive committee.

Khatri joined Akasa ahead of its commercial debut on 7 August 2022 and played a central role in shaping its international operations strategy. In its statement, the airline described her as “an early believer in Akasa” who was “integral in building on our vision and backing our early success.”

The company added that it “extends its sincere appreciation for her contributions and wishes her the very best in her future endeavours.”

According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation data, Akasa held a 5.4 per cent share of India’s domestic market in August. The airline operates a fleet of 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, flying to 24 domestic and six international destinations.

The company has laid out ambitious growth plans. In July, chief financial officer Ankur Goel said Akasa aimed to expand capacity steadily and reach a fleet size of 226 aircraft by the end of 2032. He added that the airline’s financial performance was improving as it gained market share.