E-Paper
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala death: Airlines mourn demise of the ace investor, a ‘towering figure’
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala death: Jhunjhunwala passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 62, at his home in Mumbai.
Akasa Air, India's newest airline which began its commercial operations exactly a week ago, on Sunday lost one of its co-founders, billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who breathed his last at the age of 62 at his residence in Mumbai. Various airlines, in their condolence messages to Akasa, paid tribute to Jhunjhunwala.
Here's what each airline said:
Akasa Air: In a statement, CEO Vinay Dube said that the now-deceased investor had an ‘invincible spirit'.
“We at Akasa cannot thank Mr Jhunjhunwala enough for being an early believer in us and putting his trust and faith in us to build a world-class airline. Mr Jhunjhunwala was deeply passionate about everything Indian and cared greatly for the well-being of our employees and customers. Akasa Air will honour Mr Jhunjhunwala’s legacy, values and belief in us by striving to run a great airline”.
Air India: The Tata Sons-owned carrier described his death as a ‘colossal loss’. In a release, it said, “Deeply saddened to hear the shocking news of the passing away of Shri Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Our sincere condolences to his family members and to the entire Akasa Air family”.
Vistara: “Vistara family extends its deepest condolences on the untimely demise of Mr Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr Jhunjhunwala's family, friends, and admirers. May his soul rest in peace,” the airline said on Twitter.
IndiGo: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala for their tragic loss. Mr Jhunjhunwala was a towering figure in India's financial world, and we commend his contribution to Indian aviation with the launch of Akasa Air. He’ll be missed,” said the Gurugram-headquartered budget carrier.
SpiceJet: The airline said that Jhunjhunwala was a man who was ‘eternally bullish’ on India. “The ace investor who inspired millions - Mr Rakesh Jhunjhunwala will remain a legend forever,” its statement read.
India's very own Warren Buffet, who earned the moniker of ‘Big Bull’, will be cremated at 5:30am at Mumbai's Banganga crematorium.
