Air India Express

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.^[8]

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.^[9][10] 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

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 has started transferring its aircraft and crew to Air India Express in preparation for the merger.^[13][14]

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 5 years.^[15]

Rebranding and Merger

The airline began focusing more on non-trunk routes and began to pull out of routes requiring high business capacity, later Air India would take over those routes. 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][18][19]}

The Tata Group launched a 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.^[20] 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 hand bag 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.^[21][22][23]

Business trends

Initially Air India Express focuses on providing international flights from Tier II cities in India, to the Persian Gulf region and South East Asia.

The airline flies to 44 destinations as of April 2023 with a primary hub located at Cochin International Airport in Kochi.^[32][33][34]

On the domestic front, the airline operates from the states of Kerala, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In its international arena, the airline mainly connects Indian cities with Persian Gulf countries and Singapore in the east. After the privatization and merger, the airline will domestically fly to the states of Karnataka, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, Assam, Goa, Manipur, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.^{[citation needed]}

Codeshare agreements

• Air India^[35]

As of April 2024^[update], Air India Express operates the following aircraft:^[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.^{[40][41][42][43][44]}
• On 9 July 2012, an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 skidded on landing, during heavy rain at Calicut International Airport. Aircraft's landing gear impacted with runway beacons, breaking them. There were no casualties on board.^[45]
• On 12 October 2018, Air India Express Flight 611 was a UAE bound Boeing 737-800 (registered VT-AYD) that 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.^[46]
• On 7 August 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344, a Boeing 737–800 (registered VT-AXH), went into an uncontrolled skid on the runway due to heavy rain,^[47] 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.^[48][49]

• AIX Connect
• Air India Cargo
• Air Kerala
• Alliance Air (India)

• Media related to Air India Express at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website