Air India Express to Phase Out Business Class: Eyes Growth in the Budget Carrier Market Air India Express, a subsidiary of Tata Group's aviation business, is reportedly planning to reconfigure its fleet by entirely removing business class to operate as an economy-only offering
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Air India Express, a subsidiary of Tata Group's aviation business, is reportedly planning to reconfigure its fleet by entirely removing business class to operate as an economy-only offering
The change is set to happen starting April 2025, the transition is to aid the airline's strategy to focus on better operations of its narrow-body fleet and cater to the budget commercial aviation segment, according to the airline's senior official.
The reconfiguration will be part of the Tata Group's wider consolidation plans, which include the merger of Vistara, which last took to the skies on November 11 with Air India.
Air India Express currently operates Boeing 737 NGs, Boeing 737-8s, and Airbus A320s with a fleet size of 90 aircraft after its recent merger with AIX Connect, previously AirAsia India. The transition will affect as many as 30 aircraft that are presently operating in a dual-class setup.
Air India Express also has made its bid for 35 white-tail Boeing 737-8 planes responding to the delays in new aircraft deliveries caused by global supply chain disruptions and plans to operate a fleet size exceeding 110 by the end of FY25.
The growing fleet and full focus on economy operations will help Air India Express to fortify its routes between Tier 2 and 3 cities, and possible expansions to international hubs.
Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, expressed that the airline's strategy is set up to fit the broader Tata aviation vision with lower-tiered cities being the largest market segment from metro to non-metro routes as reported in Financial Express.
Singh also said that the carrier plans to expand its connections to popular routes in the Middle East and Southeast Asia with potential expansion to areas like South Asia and the Far East in the future.
