Air India Express (IX, Delhi International) plans to add about 85 aircraft to its fleet over the next three years, including 65 new and 20 used aircraft transferred over from Air India (AI, Delhi International), according to the budget carrier's CEO Aloke Singh.
The airline currently operates 91 aircraft, including twenty-five A320-200s, five A320-200N, thirty-five B737-8, and twenty-six B737-800s, according to ch-aviation fleets data.
"We are planning to have a fleet of about 175 aircraft for Air India Express in about three years from now," Singh told journalists in Kolkata earlier this week. Aside from the aircraft transferring over from Air India, most of the growth will come from new B737 MAX types, with Air India Express having fifty B737-10s and 105 B737-8s on order.
The Tata Sons-owned carrier, which recently closed its merger with AIX Connect (Bengaluru International) (formerly AirAsia India), will use the extra aircraft to grow its footprint in domestic and international markets. It will deploy around half its capacity onto domestic routes, focusing on connecting Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to major hubs.
"These routes form two-thirds of the market and are the fastest-growing segment," said Singh.
Singh fronted the media to report a INR1.17 billion rupee (USD13.8 million) loss for Air India Express for the 12 months to March 31, 2024. While year-on-year revenue rose 33% to INR76 billion (USD895 million) because of higher passenger volumes and improved operational capacity, expenses also rose 38.3% to INR77.63 billion (USD914 million) in the same period.
"The integration of AIX Connect will expedite our path to profitability by achieving significant scale, optimising costs, and better utilising our assets," said Singh. "The objective is to build a robust, scalable network that supports long-term growth."
