Neelu Khatri, co-founder of Akasa Air, resigns; airline says expansion plans remain unchanged

In a key management exit, Akasa Air co-founder and senior vice president of international operations Neelu Khatri has resigned from the airline.

Confirming the development on Thursday (October 9), the airline said Khatri had decided to pursue a new career path. Details of his next move have not been disclosed.

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

According to the latest DGCA data, Akasa had a domestic market share of 5.4% in August. The carrier currently operates 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, serving 24 domestic and six international destinations. In an internal memo 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 we signed our first codeshare agreement with Etihad in March 2025.”

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

Akasa Air stressed that its international expansion plans remained on track, despite the change in management. “An early believer in Akasa, Neelu played an integral role in building our vision and supporting our early successes,” 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 finalized a new round of financing from investors including Premji Invest and Claypond Capital.

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