Akasa Air Co-Founder Neelu Khatri Resigns: Impact on Airline's International Expansion Strategy

Neelu Khatri, a founding member of Akasa Air who has been with the airline since its inaugural flight on August 7, 2022, has submitted her resignation.

New Delhi:

Akasa Air has confirmed that co-founder and Senior Vice President for international operations Neelu Khatri has resigned from her position to pursue new professional opportunities, marking a significant departure from the three-year-old carrier's executive team.

The airline released an official statement on Thursday acknowledging Khatri's decision to leave the company, though specific details regarding her departure were not provided.

Sources had earlier informed PTI about Khatri's resignation from the airline. As one of the founding team members and an executive committee member, Khatri played a crucial role in Akasa Air's development since its operational launch in August 2022.

"Akasa Air confirms that Neelu Khatri, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President- International has decided to move on from the company to pursue a new direction in her professional journey," said an Akasa Air spokesperson in the statement.

The airline's founding team includes five other co-founders besides Khatri: Aditya Ghosh, Anand Srinivasan, Belson Coutinho, Bhavin Joshi, and Praveen Iyer, with Vinay Dube serving as Founder and CEO.

This resignation follows several other executive-level departures at the carrier in recent times. In August, Akasa Air announced the completion of a funding round with investors including Premji Invest and Claypond Capital.

In his message to staff, CEO Dube acknowledged Khatri's five-year journey with the airline and her upcoming career transition. He highlighted her leadership in securing the Air Operator's Certificate in July 2022, which officially established Akasa as an operational airline.

"It was under Neelu's leadership that Akasa's first international flight departed on March 28, 2024, making us the only airline to launch international operations within 19 months of its launch. It was also under Neelu's leadership that we launched our first codeshare partnership with Etihad in March 2025," Dube stated.

The airline emphasized that its current international operations and expansion plans remain unchanged despite this leadership transition.

"An early believer in Akasa, Neelu has been integral in building on our vision and backing our early success. The company extends its sincere appreciation for her contributions and wishes her the very best in her future endeavours," the statement added.

According to the latest official data, Akasa Air currently holds a 5.4 percent domestic market share as of August.

The airline operates a fleet of 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and serves 24 domestic and six international destinations.

In July, Chief Financial Officer Ankur Goel reported that Akasa Air was improving its financial performance and expanding capacity, with plans to grow its fleet to 226 aircraft by the end of 2032.