Today’s Air India Express was formed by the combination of Air India Express and AirAsia India in a merger that concluded in October 2024. The airline is the no-frills arm of Air India and takes on flights on routes where the master brand does not operate or where route economics don’t permit a full-service operation.

Air India Express gets its 100th Aircraft.

Pre-merger, Air India Express operated a Boeing 737 fleet. AirAsia India was an all-A320 operation, with mostly A320 classic aircraft and a few A320neos towards the end. Air India Express has been inducting Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, which it got as part of the 470-aircraft-strong fleet renewal order of the Air India Group. The first 50 or so aircraft were inducted from the lot of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that were completed for Chinese carriers but never delivered (White Tails).

Air India Express has doubled its fleet since joining the Tata Group in January 2022. From a fleet of 26 Boeing 737 NGs and 28 A320 aircraft, the airline has grown to 100 aircraft. Air India Express inducted its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 737-8, featuring ‘Chittara’ tail art inspired by Karnataka’s traditional mural painting.

Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, flagged the plane off at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, its largest hub, on March 10, 2025. The aircraft, registered VT-BWI, has been in India since February 2025 and has been doing fleet duties since March 7, 2025.

Each aircraft in the growing Air India Express fleet, adorned with its unique ‘Tales of India’ tail art theme, showcases the country’s diverse artistic heritage. The liveries feature indigenous textile motifs and traditional art forms such as Ajrakh, Bandhani, Banarasi, Ikat, Jaapi, Jamdani, Kalamkari, Kanjeevaram, Kolam, Warli, and more.

The 100th aircraft continues this tradition with Chittara art from Karnataka. This intricate folk art, historically practiced by the Deewaru community, symbolises prosperity and celebration. Created using natural colours on mud-coated surfaces, Chittara reflects a deep connection to nature and heritage, showcasing the region’s artistic legacy.

Reflecting on the milestone, Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, said

The induction of our 100th aircraft marks a defining moment in the growth and transformation journey of Air India Express. In just over three years since privatisation, we integrated and merged the LCC airlines, while scaling up rapidly with a modern and fuel-efficient fleet, broad basing our domestic network, deepening and expanding our Middle East and Southeast Asia routes. Today, we have a formidable presence in the India market focused towards tier 2 and tier 3 cities, the emerging hotspots of the economy, playing a pivotal role in the next stage of India’s aviation growth story.

Following the event, the aircraft operated on the Bengaluru–Hindon route. Adding Hindon (Ghaziabad, Delhi NCR) to the airline’s network earlier this month further underscores its rapid expansion, making it the first and only carrier serving two airports in the National Capital Region. As part of its rapid network expansion, the airline has recently added Bangkok, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Hindon, Jammu, Patna, Phuket, and Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) to its growing network.

The airline will operate over 500 daily flights by the end of this month across a fast-expanding network of 54 destinations in India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Bottomline

Air India Express has completed the induction of the 100th aircraft in its fleet, which consists of ex-AirAsia India A320 aircraft, Air India Express 737 aircraft, and new Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The airline’s fleet is over 100 strong and poised to grow in the coming days.

What do you think of the growth of Air India Express in the coming days?

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