Akasa Air Co-founder Neelu Khatri resigns; airline says expansion plans unchanged

In a key leadership exit, Akasa Air’s co-founder and Senior Vice President for International Operations, Neelu Khatri, has resigned from the airline.

Confirming the development on Thursday, October 9, the airline said Khatri has decided to move on to pursue a new professional path. Details of her next move were not disclosed.

Khatri, a part of the founding team that helped launch Akasa Air in August 2022, played a pivotal role in steering the airline through key milestones from securing its Air Operator’s Certificate in July 2022 to launching international operations within just 19 months.

According to the latest DGCA data, Akasa held a 5.4% domestic market share in August. The carrier currently operates 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, serving 24 domestic and six international destinations.

In an internal note to employees, CEO Vinay Dube said, “It was under Neelu’s leadership that Akasa’s first international flight took off on March 28, 2024, and that we signed our first codeshare agreement with Etihad in March 2025.”

Dube added that Khatri’s contributions were instrumental in shaping the airline’s early growth and global ambitions.

Akasa Air emphasised that its international expansion plans remain on track, despite the leadership change. “An early believer in Akasa, Neelu has been integral in building our vision and backing our early success,” the airline said in a statement, thanking her for her contribution.

Khatri is one of the seven co-founders of Akasa Air including Aditya Ghosh, Anand Srinivasan, Belson Coutinho, Bhavin Joshi, and Praveen Iyer. Vinay Dube leads the airline as Founder and CEO.

In August, Akasa completed a fresh funding round from investors including Premji Invest and Claypond Capital.

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