Air India Express is an Indian low-cost airline owned by the Air India Group. It is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. As of, the airline operates more than 500 flights per day to 45 domestic and 17 international destinations, with its primary hubs at Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.
History
Air India Express was launched as a subsidiary of Air India on 29 April 2005. The airline was launched as a low-cost carrier focused on routes from South India to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.[2][3] As a low-cost carrier, the airline operated point-to-point flights with multiple hubs all over India.[4] Initially headquartered in Delhi, it was relocated to Kochi in 2013.[5][6] While its sister entity Air India ran into operational losses in the 2010s, the airline continued to remain profitable.[3][7] However, the airline operated with a fixed fleet of 24 aircraft for years, with no plans for expansion or modernisation.[3]
On 8 October 2021, Tata Sons acquired Air India along with Air India Express and fifty percent of AISATS, a ground handling company, in a deal valued at inr 180000000000.[8] With the acquisition, the company became a part of Air India Limited.[9] In 2023, the Tata Group sought to consolidate its holdings in various airline companies. It resulted in the group acquiring full control of AirAsia India, which was rebranded as AIX Connect, and proposed to be merged with Air India Express post the approval by authorities.[10] In March 2023, the Tata Group announced the integration of both the airlines.[11]
Post the acquisition and merger, the services operated by Air India Express were optimised to focus on low cost routes and complement the Air India network.[12][13] On 18 October 2023, the airline was rebranded with a new logo and livery.[14] In late 2023, the company moved its headquarters to Gurgaon.[15][16] The merger of AIX Connect and Air India Express was declared complete on 1 October 2024.[17] At the time, the airline had a fleet of 88 aircraft and planned to increase it to 100 aircraft by the end of the year.[18] In 2025, the airline unveiled a new cabin interior, and a new uniform for its cabin crew. The new cabin layout would be applied to the entire fleet of
Corporate affairs and identity
Air India Express is headquartered at the Vatika One-on-One complex in Gurgaon, which also houses the head office of Air India.[20]
Livery
In the earlier branding, the aircraft featured a predominantly white color scheme with the brand name written in red in English on one side and Hindi on the other side, and a stylised red wavy design on the aft fuselage. Each aircraft featured a unique tail art, with each side of the tail painted with various designs related to India. The new livery introduced in 2023, consists of the airline's updated logo, and the underbelly and engine casings painted in orange. The tail consists of a mix of grey, orange and turquoise, with the tail art reflecting traditional art patterns found in Indian textiles and indigenous art.[21][22]
Business trends
Destinations
Air India Express focuses on routes dominated by low cost carriers and which have a higher component of leisure customers.[31] As of, the airline flies to 45 domestic destinations and 17 international destinations with primary hubs located in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai.[32][33] It flies to international destinations mainly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.[32]
Air India Express has codeshare agreements and interline agreements with Air India,[34]
Fleet
As of December 2025, Air India Express operates the following aircraft:[36][37][38]
Fleet information
During the 2023 Paris Air Show, Air India placed an order with Boeing for 470 aircraft, which included 190 737 MAX aircraft. The order was later transferred to Air India Express with deliveries commencing from October 2023. Subsequently, Air India Express revealed its plan to have a fleet of 170 aircraft within the next five years.[46] The airline accepted deliveries of MAX 8 aircraft that were originally manufactured for a different airline.[47]
Services
Air India Express operates as a low cost carrier, and features an all economy class seating in most of the aircraft.[3][42][52] In 2025, the airline unveiled a new cabin with all economy class seats in a 3-3 seat configuration. The seats featured a beige colour scheme except for the front and exit row seats, which are orange. The soft leather seats manufactured by Collins Aerospace, were fitted with armrests, tray tables, lighting and charging ports.[19] It offers different fares on the same service, including hand baggage only fares.[53] The airline does not offer inflight meals as a standard, and offers heated meals on demand.[54]
Accidents and incidents
- On 22 May 2010, Air India Express Flight 812, a Boeing 737–800 (registered as VT-AXV) flying in from Dubai overshot the runway on landing at Mangalore, killing 152 passengers and six crew members of the 166 people on board.[55][56] The aircraft crashed into a wooded valley at the end of the runway and burst into flames. There were only eight survivors.[57][58][59]
- On 5 September 2017, Air India Express Flight 452, flying from Abu Dhabi to Kochi with 108 occupants, suffered a
See also
- Air India Cargo
- Air Kerala
- Alliance Air (India)
External links
References
- Tata Sons FY25 Annual report Air India, 6 September 2024^
- How to Differentiate Air India and Air India Express Tata Group, retrieved 1 June 2025^
- Air India Express: The Next Big Thing In Indian Aviation