Akasa Air Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer Praveen Iyer Resigns, Second High-Level Exit In Four Months

Mumbai: Akasa Air’s co-founder and chief commercial officer Praveen Iyer resigned on Wednesday and will quit the organisation by the end of April. He is the airline’s second co-founder to quit in the last four months, following Neelu Khatri, who stepped down from her position as senior vice president in October 2025.

On Wednesday, Akasa Air announced Iyer has “decided to move on to begin the next chapter of his life” after a five year journey. The position will now be headed by its co-founder and chief information officer Anand Srinivasan. With the development, the airline’s IT function will report to Akasa Air's chief financial officer Ankur Goel. The airline has initiated the search for a candidate to take over the responsibility as the chief information officer.

Notably, India’s youngest airline has been recording a significant loss since the last two financial years, according to government data. In FY2025, the airline reported a loss of Rs1,986.2 crore and Rs1,669.5 crore and in FY2024. Iyer’s exit comes at a time when the airline is bracing up for expansion with delivery of around 15 aircraft this year from Boeing.

lyer said, "Building Akasa Air has been a defining journey and a deeply fulfilling experience. It has been a privilege to be part of an exceptional team, and I am proud of the achievements we have made in such a short span of time. I am confident the airline is well-positioned for its next phase of growth and wish the leadership and employees continued success."

Akasa Air’s founder and chief executive officer Vinay Dube said "Praveen has been instrumental in shaping not just Akasa's commercial vision but the airline itself and translating that ambition into sustained growth. We are grateful for his leadership, clarity of thought, and long-term perspective during the formative years of the airline.”