Air India Express, the regional budget carrier of Air India, unveiled its new brand identity in Mumbai on Wednesday and on the occasion, the Air India CEO and Air India Express Chairman Campbell Wilson shared the ambitious growth plans of the Group’s airline and updates on existing developments.
Sharing his views, Campbell said that the scale and the pace of the Air India Group’s transformation is unprecedented, and with a huge aircraft order in place, the Group is poised to add a new aircraft to its fleet every week till next year. “On average, between now and the end of 2024, the Air India group will take delivery of one new aircraft every six days. This transformation is also part of a broader transformation of the Indian aviation landscape,” he said.
The Air India Express will now be operating under a single brand, retiring the AirAsia India brand name. However, both airline codes IX and I5 will continue to be used for the time being. The rebranding is part of the integration of AirAsia India and Air India Express, which were brought together after Air India’s acquisition by Tata Group last year.
Under the new brand, Air India Express plans to expand its network both domestically and internationally. New routes will connect more Indian cities as well as destinations in the Gulf, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and CIS regions. The airline has also received its first two Boeing 737 aircraft as part of a large fleet order, with the first entering commercial service in the coming hours.
Wilson also shared an update on the Vistara – Air India merger. “The merger of Air Asia India and Air India Express is at an advanced stage. The planning and approvals for the merger of Air India and Vistara is also proceeding well, and our aviation training academy, which is going to be India’s largest, is shaping up well. The broader ambition of these efforts is to better connect India and Indians to each other and to the world. After revealing the new brand identity for Air India, we are now proud to present the new branding of Air India Express, a vitally important part of the new Air India Group charged with bringing the best value, the best accessibility, and the best in regional connectivity and with the ambition to become the airline of a new generation,” he added.
The airline’s transformation was announced at a launch event in Mumbai where Campbell Wilson, Chairman, Air India Express, and Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express shared vision behind the rebranding alongside network expansion plans going forward. They also launched airline’s new logo and fresh livery on Air India Express’ first brand-new Boeing 737-8 aircraft.
The name change is accompanied by a new brand manifesto and film highlighting Air India Express’s role in connecting India and Indians to the world. Chairman Campbell Wilson and CEO Aloke Singh thanked the airline’s employees and partners for their support during the integration process. The rebranding marks an important milestone as Air India Express looks to emerge as “the airline of a new generation” under the Tata Group.
At the launch event, Aloke Singh, CEO, Air India Express, revealed ambitious growth plans set out for the airline, including new aircraft joining its fleet right after the launch. “I am very pleased to inform that the first new aircraft from our order book of Boeing 737-8 family has already joined our fleet and started operations today. With a new network that we are rolling out, we are going to also see a whole new generation of Indian travellers coming into our system. This is a remarkable story that is unfolding. A story of new segments. It’s a story panning out in the tier two tier three cities of the country,” he added.
