Akasa Air will allow pets in the cabin and cargo hold. The weight allowed will be 7 kg. Bookings will begin on October 15 for flights from November 1.
The company also announced it will get an aircraft every 15 days. By the end of the fiscal, Akasa will have a fleet of 18 aircraft.
Only Air India allows pets in the cabin if the combined weight of the pet and the carrier are less than 5 kg.
IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara and AirAsia do not allow the transport of any live animal, except for service animals such as a guide dog for a blind person.
The budget carrier’s CEO Vinay Dube told reporters on Thursday that the airline’s performance in the first 60 days since starting operations has been “satisfying”.
Akasa Air, which has 30 daily flights at present, will start services from Delhi on Friday. The airline has placed an order for 72 Boeing 737MAX planes.
Belson Coutinho, co-founder, chief marketing and experience officer, said each pet would have to be in a cage. The weight limit, including the cage, will be7 kilograms in the case of cabin and 32 kilograms in check-in. There will be a separate option for the heavier pets.
“We did have a lot of pet lovers asking... we need to have an inclusive environment for pets as well. It (the decision) comes out of our love for pets,” Coutinho said.
The airline will be leveraging the expertise of an NGO with respect to pets such as how to be prepared and what all things pet owners should know, he added.
