The IX-Factor of Indian Aviation

IX is setting a new course for growth in the red-hot Indian avia- tion market. VISHAL DUGGAL reports

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Air India Express (IX), a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, is taking off to capture a significant share of Indian aviation. The Tata Group's low-cost aviation arm increased its fleet capacity by 56 per cent in FY25 increasing it to 103 aircraft from 66, with plans to significantly increase this number by the end of FY26 by inducting 15 new aircraft and a broader goal to double its fleet to 175 aircraft in the next two to three years, with a focus on both domestic and international expansion.

The airline currently maintains a robust operational framework with a fleet of 104 aircraft: twenty-four A320-200s, twelve A320-200Ns, twenty-six B737-800s, and forty-two B737-8s. This diverse fleet enables the airline to operate approximately 485 daily flights, demonstrating substantial operational capacity and market reach. Although Boeing has slowed down on the delivery of aircraft, the fleet expansion drive of AI Express keeps flying high on planes from parent Air India, which had placed orders for 470 planes, comprising 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing, in February 2023. Out of the 470, 400 happened to be narrow-body aircraft. As supply chain disruptions affected the delivery of new aircraft, IX took deliveries of 35 white-tail Boeing 737-8 planes as part of the order (The white-tail aircraft are those originally manufactured for a different airline and later acquired by another).