Air India Express, which has traditionally operated Boeing 737 aircraft, is in for a significant upgrade with the Boeing 737-8 on order. The airline has 190 of the newest generation 737 MAX aircraft  (on order) as part of parent Air India’s orderbook.

While the airline has not publicly stated this, these aircraft are allocated to them from those that were initially manufactured to the specifications of various Chinese carriers but are now being handed over to AIX because the airlines concerned did not pick them up in time (China was the last country to unground the MAX). Consequently, AIX now has Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are also equipped with a business class section.

When I flew the first Boeing 737-8 of AIX, I saw the business class section first-hand for the first time.

This is not a new phenomenon. Akasa also had about 11 aircraft that had business class fitted in. For those aircraft,  they used to sell those seats as A++ seats (wider seats with no service). However, Air India Express is going a different way to treat their new seats.

Air India Express announces  ‘Biz’ Class.

In a conversation earlier this year with Air India Express management, they told me they are toying with the idea of keeping a Business Class section and building a business class product around it. However, they needed more time to be fully ready with the details. Today, they announced their new Business Class product.

Air India Express is positioning its new “Biz” fares as a Business Class equivalent that disrupts the traditional LCC model with a hybrid offering, as per a statement issued by AIX. The Biz fares are available on all the new Air India Express Boeing 737-8 aircraft.

The Biz Seats offer recliner seats with a seat pitch of up to 58 inches and no middle seats in this cabin class. Air India Express has received fifteen aircraft and will have another 35 join them by December 2024. The airline currently inducts four new aircraft every month, with the Biz configuration, which has 4/8 Biz seats installed.

Along with the Biz Class seat, Air India Express will include an increased baggage allowance of 25 kg for domestic and 40 kg for international flights. Air India Express will also offer a meal from the Gourmair hot meals selection (Lite Bites on short sectors) in the Biz Class section. AIX will include Xpress Ahead priority check-in, baggage, and boarding services.

As for pricing, Air India Express is priced at roughly INR 25K for a two-hour flight and INR 11K for a sub-one-hour flight. In a sector where AIX competes with a lot of premium capacity, for instance, in Mumbai—Delhi, it is priced at a very competitive INR 18,000 INR.

Xpress Biz Fares are offered primarily in the metro sectors, connecting them with other key destinations across India. Here are some of the 70+ routes where you can fly in the Biz section:

• Bengaluru: Ayodhya, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi, Mangalore, Pune, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, and Varanasi.
• Hyderabad: Amritsar, Goa, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Surat, and Thiruvananthapuram.
• Delhi: Ayodhya, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Mumbai.
• Mumbai: Bengaluru, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Madurai, and Srinagar.
• Kolkata: Ayodhya, Chennai, Jaipur, Guwahati and Imphal.

Bottomline

Air India Express has now introduced a formal ‘Biz’ product on over 70 routes. The airline will provide a wider seat, a meal, an enhanced baggage allowance, and other priority services. The Biz fare provides a 58-inch seat pitch and is offered from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

What do you think of the new Air India Express Biz offering?

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