#smalljoys

It's good to see a new service to Kochi after many years (discounting IX's inconsistent presence). It's a grossly underserved market and I pushed for this route as part of a network expansion strategy in a previous role; I'm hoping it materialises someday.

As of 2025, around 42% of Riyadh-Kochi pax connected via a stop, often stretching total journey time to 8-15 hours. A new non-stop option is therefore a meaningful upgrade in connectivity for the large Kerala diaspora in Saudi Arabia.

In 2025, the Riyadh-Kochi market exceeded 140,000 O&D passengers, with relatively strong yields among India-Riyadh routes and healthy fundamentals overall by any measure.

Akasa Air enters as the first new operator on the route in several years. Air India served the market pre-pandemic, while Air India Express' intermittent, once-weekly operation (2025) never settled into a clear long-term strategy.

For Akasa, the opportunity is compelling: a modern product, a structurally lower cost base than legacy competitor Saudia, and a sizeable, underserved market with strong underlying demand - the right ingredients for sustainable competition.

More choice for passengers. Much-needed competition. Better India-Saudi connectivity

Akasa Air

(This write-up is for educational/informational purposes only; happy to amend inaccuracies, if any. Views are personal.)

#akasaair #riyadh #kochi #ruh #cok #connectivity #newroute