Inside Akasa Air's struggles with Boeing delivery delays and idle pilots

Frustration is building inside India's newest airline, Akasa Air, with top executives privately criticising Boeing for delayed plane deliveries and scrambling to assuage hundreds of anxious pilots who remain idle without work. Troubles at Akasa, backed by an Indian billionaire's family, are among the starkest examples of how Boeing's woes are crippling airlines globally and having a ripple effect on their planned expansions. The Mumbai-based low-cost airline, which started operations about three years ago, has a fleet of 27 planes, but has 226 jets - all Boeing 737 MAXs - on order. Deliveries have been delayed as Boeing's 737 programme faced regulatory scrutiny after a mid-air cabin panel blowout last year and suffered from the effects of a seven-week workers' strike. Just as Akasa has expressed confidence in Boeing publicly, its executives voiced optimism about U.S. planemaker's turnaround in a private February town hall with pilots, but top executives did not shy away from candidly revealing the operational stress they face, according to an audio recording reviewed by Reuters. During the previously unreported meeting, Akasa's chief of strategic acquisitions, Priya Mehra, described Boeing as the "elephant in the room" whose workers' strike caused "sleepless nights". Co-founder Aditya Ghosh referred to the company as "Boeing bloody ... retarding our speed". "We just don't have enough aircraft to fly ... nobody wants to sit at home and twiddle their thumbs," CEO Vinay Dube told the gathering of pilots. Akasa did not comment on queries about the remarks made in the town hall, but said it is in "continuous discussions with Boeing" and is "fully aligned with the steps they are taking to enhance quality and streamline resources."<br/>