New budget airline Akasa Air plans to launch its first commercial flight in June and is working to get all relevant licences, Chief Executive Vinay Dube said on Friday.
The airline is backed by billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, known as "India's Warren Buffett", who has teamed up with former chief executives of IndiGo and Jet Airways to tap into rising long-term prospects for domestic air travel in India.
The airline aims to have 18 aircraft within 12 months from launch and will have 72 planes in five years, Dube said speaking at an air show in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
The carrier will fly within the country.
Mr Dube did not say which cities it would serve.
In November last year, Akasa Air, which will compete with other Indian airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet, placed an order for 72 Boeing737 MAX jets, valued at nearly $9 billion at list prices.
Akasa Air received initial clearance from India's civil aviation ministry to start operations in October last year.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's Wife Loses Rs 800 Crore As Her Biggest Stock Bet Tanks "What If I'm Carrying Nuclear Bomb": Akasa Fliers Arrested At Delhi Airport India Has Incredibly Affordable Airfares, Says Akasa Air CEO 4-Year-Old Boy Run Over By Speeding Creta In Mumbai, Teen Driver Arrested Germany Refused To Extradite Saudi Suspect? Suicidal Empathy, Says Elon Musk 2 Dead, Many Feared Trapped For 17 Hours After Mohali Building Collapse BJP Leader Who Lost To Priyanka Gandhi Challenges Election, Congress Reacts "Frontal Attack On Constitution": Congress Chief Slams Poll Rules Tweak 4 Dead As Ambulance Helicopter Crashes Into Hospital Building In Turkey Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.