Mumbai, April 23 -- Akasa Air, India's third largest airline, is tapping into the month-long demand for Hajj travel to deploy its aircraft capacity left underutilized after services to parts of West Asia were scaled back due to the ongoing war in the region, according to a person aware of the development. "About five to six airplanes were used on the West Asia route, which are now being used majorly for Hajj travel," said the person quoted above, requesting anonymity as this plan is part of business strategy. Flights to and from Doha, Riyadh, and Kuwait have been suspended until April 30, according to the airline's April 21 post on X. While it continues to operate flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia-the main gateway for pilgrims going to Mecca-from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kochi and Kozhikode, Akasa is evaluating resumption of flights to Abu Dhabi, the post said. Akasa Air did not respond to Mint's queries on aircraft utilization, Hajj travel and the impact of the West Asia crisis. The airline has inducted seven new aircraft in 2026, taking the fleet size to 38. However, one of them is undergoing maintenance after a collision at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport with a SpiceJet plane on April 16. Experts believe this diversion of idle aircraft can be a temporary fix in the situation, but is not a sustainable option. Airlines deploying their underutilized aircraft for Hajj travel is a "practical and sensible move" amid the West Asia disruption, but it is only a short-term fix, said Ashish Chhawchharia, partner and aviation industry leader at Grant Thornton Bharat. "While Hajj traffic is huge and provides a strong, concentrated burst of demand, it is limited to a short window of around four to six weeks. That makes it a useful but temporary cushion. Such deployments help mitigate immediate losses, but they are unlikely to fully offset the sustained impact of reduced West Asia operations," he said. Hajj 2026 travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia begins in April, with the first flights carrying pilgrims having landed in Jeddah on April 18....