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Written by 4:19 pm Manufacturing Trends

Air India Express will add 20 aircraft to fleet and expand international operations in 2025

Air India Express is set to expand its international reach and enhance connectivity with a strategic plan to add 20 aircraft to its fleet by the end of the financial year. The airline, which recently concluded the merger of AIX Connect with itself, currently operates a fleet of 90 aircraft. With this new expansion, the fleet size of the carrier will grow to over 110 by March 2025, senior officials confirmed.

As part of its growth strategy, Air India Express aims to serve 55 destinations by the end of the 2024-2025 fiscal, strengthening its network on domestic and international routes. The airline is focusing on expanding from smaller cities to major metropolitan hubs, while targeting new overseas routes. In addition to launching new routes in India, Air India Express will commence services on international destinations, including Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, and official told PTI.

Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, shared that the airline’s growth will focus on connecting Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, which he described as “growth engines” of the market. He highlighted that the largest share of the market lies in metro-to-non-metro routes, adding that the airline’s future international network will largely link smaller cities to destinations in the Gulf, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and eventually South Asia, with potential plans to extend to the Far East over the next few years.

Also read | IndiGo expands connectivity to northeast India; will operate 11 weekly flights to Bangkok from Kolkata

Singh elaborated that Air India Express’s network strategy is integrated with the broader plans of Air India Group. Following the merger with AIX Connect, Tata Group’s consolidation of its airline business continues with the upcoming integration of Vistara into Air India.

Ankur Garg, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Air India Express, noted that new flights to Bangkok and Phuket are on the horizon, with plans for flights from Tier 2 cities to Bangkok and possibly from a metro city to Phuket. The airline is also exploring the possibility of expanding its network to other international destinations, such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Also read | Bankruptcies to buyouts: The turbulent tale of last 20 years of Indian aviation

“We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin. Our focus remains on connecting Tier 2 and 3 cities with metro hubs, while integrating our services with the long-haul, wide-body operations of the Air India network,” Singh explained.

Addressing a query regarding premium cabin offerings, Singh confirmed that there are currently no plans to introduce premium economy seats on Air India Express flights. The airline currently operates only economy class seats, with some aircraft featuring business class seating.

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