Air India Express announced its plans this week to add more routes from tier-2 and tier-3 cities to the Middle East and South East Asia. The carrier, which recently merged with AIX Connect, looks to increase its fleet to 110 aircraft by the end of the fiscal year.
Officials of the Tata Group-owned airline said that the carrier expects to fly to 55 destinations by March 2025, adding domestic routes and international destinations such as Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand.
With most passenger traffic peaking in the metro-to-non-metro routes, Air India Express MD Aloke Singh reiterated the importance of tier-2 and tie-3 cities and towns "growth engines".
"We want to provide connectivity between the full service, long haul, wide-body side of the business and the domestic tier-2, tier-3 cities," Singh told the media on Friday.
Tata has been consolidating its airline business, with AIX Connect completing its merger into Air India Express and the Vistara brand coming under the Air India fold next week.
ALSO READ | ‘Generations will be grateful to him for making India a better...’: PM Modi remembers Ratan Tata
Ankur Garg, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Air India Express, said the carrier is considering starting services in Bangkok and Phuket. Bangkok is expected to get direct flights from tier-2 cities.
The airline also expressed the possibility of adding routes to Malaysia and Hong Kong in the future. However, it will take time since the carrier will look at the performance of these sectors.
Earlier on Friday, the Air India Group also announced a shuffle in senior management ahead of the Vistara merger.
Vistara CEO Vinod Kanan is expected to continue as the Chief Integration Officer even after the merger, reporting directly to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.
ALSO READ | Jet Airways: From major Indian private air carrier to bankruptcy and liquidation
Vistara Chief Commercial Officer Deepak Rajawat will become the CFO of Air India Express, reporting to CEO Aloke Singh. The incumbent CFO of Air India Express, Vikas Agarwal, will move to a new role at Air India.
"Over the past two years, the four Tata airlines have worked hard to prepare for and execute one of the most complex mergers in aviation history," said Wilson, the Air India CEO.