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Air India Express is an Indian low-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian flag carrier airline Air India.[6] Currently, it is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana.[3][7]
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| Commenced operations | 29 April 2005 | ||||||
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| Operating bases | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Tata NeuPass | ||||||
| Fleet size | 93 | ||||||
| Destinations | 47[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | Air India Limited | ||||||
| Headquarters | Gurgaon, Haryana, India[3] | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Revenue |  ₹7,537 crore (US$900 million) (FY2024)[4] | ||||||
| Net income |  ₹−163 crore (US$−20 million) (FY2024)[4] | ||||||
| Employees | 7,000 (as of September 2024)[5] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
It operates more than 2000 flights per week to 45 destinations across India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.[8] It has operating bases in Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kannur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram and Tiruchirappalli.
Foundation
Air India Express came into existence on 29 April 2005, with the launch of three flights that took off simultaneously from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. The airline was launched as a low-cost carrier with the objective of providing convenient connectivity to short-haul international routes in the Middle East and Southeast Asia for the Indian expatriate community. Air India Express was Air India's response to the growing popularity of low-cost carriers worldwide and within the region. As a low-cost carrier, the airline operates point-to-point flights with multiple hubs all over India.[9]
In December 2012, Air India ratified the proposal to move the headquarters to Kochi in January 2013 and to establish a new maintenance base at Thiruvananthapuram.[10][11] Despite rising losses for its parent entity Air India, the airline continued to thrive in the following years with constant increase in revenue while managing to stay profitable.[12]
Privatisation
On 8 October 2021, Air India, along with its low-cost carrier Air India Express and fifty percent of AISATS, a ground handling company, were sold for ₹18,000 crores (US$2.5 billion) to Talace Private Limited, a Tata Sons' special-purpose entity. The airlines were later handed over to the Tata Group.[13]
During early 2023, reports emerged stating that the Tata Group was seeking to consolidate its 4 airlines into 2 airlines, one full service carrier and one low-cost carrier. The group acquired its remaining stake in AirAsia India, which was rebranded as AIX Connect, and talks began to merge Air India Express and AIX Connect. The group later confirmed the merger and applied for a merger request with the necessary authorities. The merger was later approved by the Competition Commission of India. AIX Connect started to transfer its aircraft and crew to Air India Express in preparation for the merger.[14][15]
Rebranding and merger
The airline began focusing more on non-trunk routes and began to pull out of routes requiring high business capacity, which would be taken over by Air India. The airline and Air India also began to stay away from each other's routes, with Air India Express connecting smaller cities and feeding on Air India's long-haul network.[16][17]
The Tata Group launched the rebranded Air India Express logo and livery on 18 October 2023, promising a fresh, vibrant and visually engaging airline targeting India's budget-friendly aviation market. A new rebranded website also went live with new branding. The first flight after the rebranding, IX 5101, took off from Mumbai to Delhi on 19 October 2023.[18] The airline later began attempts to diversify its revenue streams. It began focusing more on ancillary services by retrofitting all its aircraft with hot ovens to offer hot meals, and started selling handbag-only fares called "Xpress Lite Fares". The airline aims to increase its ancillary revenue to over 20% of its total revenue within the next few years.[19][20][21]
The merger of AIX Connect and Air Indian Express was declared complete on 1 October 2024.[22] By the time, the fleet size is to reach 88 aircraft and eventually 100 by 2024-end. As of September 2024, the airline has 7,000 employees.[5]
It began operations at the Vatika One-on-One complex, which also houses the head office of its parent company, as of 2024.[23]
Business trends
The key trends for Air India Express are (as at the financial year ending 31 March):
Initially, Air India Express focused on providing international flights from Tier II cities in India, to the Persian Gulf region and Southeast Asia. After the privatization and merger, the network of Air India Express was structured to complement Air India's routes, filling gaps where the parent airline does not operate. The carrier focuses on routes which have a higher component of leisure and price-sensitive customers.[31]
The airline flies to 45 destinations as of July 2024, with primary hubs located in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi.[32][33][34] The airline announced Agartala in Tripura as the airline's 46th destination in July 2024.[35]
The airline plans 55 destinations by March 2025.[36]
Codeshare agreements
Air India Express has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
As of December 2024[update], Air India Express operates the following aircraft:[38][39]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers[8] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 24 | — | 180 | 15 to be transferred from Air India[40][41] |
| Airbus A320neo | 8 | — | 186 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 26 | — | 189 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 35 | 155 | 176 | Order with 50 options[42][43] |
| 178 | ||||
| Boeing 737 MAX 10 | — | TBA | ||
| Total | 93 | 155 | ||
Fleet information
During the 2023 Paris Air Show, Air India placed an order for 470 aircraft which included an order for 190 737 MAX aircraft. The airline later transferred its 737 MAX order to Air India Express with deliveries commencing from October 2023. The airline revealed its plan to have 170 aircraft within five years.[44]
As of 10 September 2024, the Air India Express' Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet consists of white tail aircraft, that is, the aircraft were originally manufactured for a particular airline and later taken by another airline (Air India Express). Of these aircraft, 29 offers business class seats which are planned to be eventually phased out as such configurations are not part of the airline's model.[45]
As of 9 November 2024, the airline has 93 aircraft which is to expand to 110 aircraft by March 2025.[36]
- On 22 May 2010, Air India Express Flight 812, a Boeing 737–800 (registered VT-AXV) flying on the Dubai–Mangalore route, overshot runway 24 on landing at Mangalore Airport, killing 152 passengers and six crew members of the 166 people on board. The aircraft crashed into a wooded valley at the end of the runway and burst into flames. There were only eight survivors.[46][47][48][49][50]
- On 9 July 2012, an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 skidded on landing, during heavy rain at Calicut International Airport. The aircraft's landing gear impacted with runway beacons, breaking them. There were no casualties on board.[citation needed]
- On 5 September 2017, Air India Express Flight 452, flying from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Cochin International Airport with 108 occupants, suffered a runway excursion after landing at its destination. All 108 occupants onboard survive and the airframe was repaired and returned to service.[51]
- On 12 October 2018, Air India Express Flight 611, a UAE bound Boeing 737-800 (registered VT-AYD), suffered a tail strike on takeoff before colliding with the localiser antenna and boundary wall of Tiruchirappalli International Airport. This resulted in severe structural damage to the undercarriage, landing gear, flight control surfaces and engine cowling. The crew continued to fly towards Dubai contrary to Boeing's tail strike checklist, reassured by normal instrumentation. When the plane was nearing the Middle East, the pilot was ordered to fly to Mumbai, India. It landed uneventfully and was repaired at a substantial cost.[52]
- On 7 August 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344, a Boeing 737–800 (registered VT-AXH), suffered a runway excursion on landing,[53] fell into a valley and broke into three pieces after overrunning the table-top runway at Calicut International Airport. 21 people on board were killed, including both pilots, and at least 167 were injured.[54][55]
- On 11 October 2024, Air India Express Flight 613, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah, suffered a hydraulic failure in its landing gear assembly. After engaging in an Holding pattern over Trichy for over two hours, the flight with 114 passengers landed safely.[56][57]
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