In a statement released Wednesday, Akasa Air announced the departure of Praveen Iyer, its chief commercial officer and co-founder.
Iyer will be replaced as chief commercial officer by Anand Srinivasan, co-founder and chief information officer, according to Akasa Air.
In less than three years of the airline’s existence, this is the second high profile departure.
Among the group of business leaders who launched Akasa Air was Praveen Iyer, who also served on the company’s executive committee.
Neelu Khatri, who oversaw the airline’s overseas operations, also resigned from her position in October of last year. In less than six months, Iyer’s resignation marks the second high level departure.
According to a statement released by Akasa Air on Wednesday, Praveen Iyer has made the decision to start the next phase of his life after an incredible five year adventure.
At first, it was unclear why the co-founder of Akasa Air had left the company and if he was joining another company or launching his own.
Iyer resigned a day after an airline spokesperson informed Reuters that tax authorities had visited Akasa Air offices to complete company verification procedures.
The chief commercial officer will work closely with the leadership team to guarantee a seamless and organized transition through April 30, 2026, Akasa Air added in its statement.
On August 7, 2022, Akasa Air began its first commercial flights. There are now 33 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the airline’s fleet. The family of the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala supports the airline.
Who is Praveen Iyer?
He is one of several co-founders of Akasa Air, a low-cost airline that was just launched in India and is built in India.
Iyer was an executive member as well as the company’s chief commercial officer.
Previously affiliated with Jet Airways and Qatar Airways, he is a business leader with more than twenty years of expertise.
According to Akasa Airlines’ website, she has performed a number of executive roles encompassing worldwide operations in fast paced, dynamic, customer focused companies.
He has increased revenues and helped to boost profitability and margins through his efforts in India and abroad.
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It has been a life changing and incredibly rewarding experience to build Akasa Air. Being a member of an outstanding team has been an honor, and I am happy of the progress we have accomplished in such a short period of time. Iyer remarked on his journey with Akasa Air on Wednesday, I am sure the airline is well positioned for its next phase of growth and wish the leadership and employees continued success.
Akasa Air leadership. team
Akasa Air was founded by a group of aviation industry leaders with support from the Jhunjhunwala family.
Vinay Dube, the former CEO of Jet Airways and Go First, and Aditya Ghosh, the former president of IndiGo, were on the team. Vinay Dube is the company’s chief executive officer.
The leadership team also includes :
- Praveen Iyer: Chief Information Officer, formerly with Go First and Qatar Airways.
- Belson Coutinho: Chief Marketing Officer, formerly worked at PwC and Jet Airways.
- Anand Srinivasan: Chief Information Officer, was formerly associated with Jet Airways.
- Bhavin Joshi: The Senior VP Strategy, formerly worked at PwC and Jet Airways.
- Neelu Khatri: Fomer leader at Akasa Air who headed international operations and corporate affairs.
