Akasa Air grounds B737 Max aircraft after noticing engine fuel leak

Carrier operating with three planes, will source spare parts to repair the engine fuel pump

Akasa Air grounded a B737 Max aircraft on Tuesday after leakage in an engine fuel pump, aviation industry sources said. 

The airline cancelled a couple of flights in the last two days due to the grounded plane, which has registration code VT-YAC, they said on Thursday.

The new carrier—it has four planes in its fleet--is currently operating with three planes. It is looking to source spare parts to repair the engine fuel pump of VT-YAC, said the sources.

An official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed the grounding of VT-YAC due to "unserviceable engine fuel pump".

The airline did not respond to queries sent by 'Business Standard'.

Akasa Air has earlier said that its fleet size will go up to 18 aircraft -- all B737 Max -- by March 2023. By March 2027, the airline plans to have 72 B737 Max aircraft in its fleet.

Akasa Air, which operated its first commercial flight on August 7, filled 52.9 per cent seats up to August 31, according to the DGCA's data.

The airline operates flights between five cities across the country. From October 7, it plans to start operating flights on Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes.

The DGCA data showed that Akasa Air carried 24,000 passengers on its flights in August, which gave it 0.2 per cent market share. IndiGo is the market leader as it flew 5.83 million passengers domestically, recording a market share of 57.7 per cent.