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is a part of the Tata group. The India Express strengthens its the traditional LCC philosophy of
LCC operates over 400 daily footprint across domestic and operating a single aircraft type.
flights, connecting 32 domestic international markets, we are However, with deliveries of its 737
and 14 international airports. strategically leveraging virtual MAX jetliners on order delayed,
On 1 October, Air India Express interline partnerships to unlock Air India Express has opted for
announced the completion of new destinations with seamless building capacity in India’s fast
its legal merger of AIX Connect connectivity to the East and growing market, rather than
(formerly AirAsia India). It will West. We welcome Scoot as focussing on building its fleet on a
now operate under the banner of our first airline partner on this single type.
IX – a single, unified airline. “The platform and look forward to
integration of AIX Connect with onboarding more airlines, which In Growth Mode
Air India Express is an important will be instrumental in expand- India’s price-sensitive consumer
milestone in Air India’s Vihaan. ing the network further to cater will ensure that Low Cost Carrier’s
ai transformation journey. The to the growing outbound travel will remain the dominant players
merged entity will cater to the demand from India, while simul- in air travel well into the future.
growing demand for air travel taneously enhancing inbound These carriers which place a
around India and in the region, tourism by attracting interna- strong focus on cost management
especially amongst the country’s tional travellers to our vibrant are also more likely to weather
aspirational youth looking for nation.” the storms in India’s turbulent
fresh and more appealing value air travel market. For the Indian
products. This merger will be fol- The airline presently has a fleet of customer, the excellent safety
lowed by the merger of Vistara 88 aircraft, comprising 61 Boeing record of domestic LCCs, in
into Air India on 12 November. 737s and 27 Airbus A320s. It is addition to the new aircraft being
We look forward to working also receiving some aircraft from inducted, will only mean a safer
with the guidance of DGCA to Air India and the erstwhile Vistara and improved travel experience.
conclude it seamlessly,” said (now being integrated with Air Already leading the domestic
Campbell Wilson, Managing India). These aircraft are A320s market by a large margin, IndiGo
Director & Chief Executive Officer configured in an all-economy 180 is now also making a strong play
of Air India and Chairman, Air seat layout and at least two are for ferrying Indian passengers to
India Express. thought to have already been international destinations and also
transferred to Air India Express. bringing in international travellers.
In August, Air India Express The LCC now operates two sin- For the other Indian LCCs, they
became the first Indian airline gle-aisle types in the Airbus A320 will need to focus on strengthen-
to launch a Virtual Interline plat- family and Boeing’s 737 family, ing their domestic market share,
form, offering flyers a wider which will add to its operational yet at the same time make efforts
range of booking options. Ankur costs with the associated training to ensure they are not shut out
Garg, Chief Commercial Officer, and maintenance required for of the international market by
Air India Express, said, “As Air these aircraft. This is at odds with IndiGo.

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