GURUGRAM, India 4 October 2024: Air India Group has completed the operational integration and legal merger of Air India Express Ltd and AIX Connect Pvt Ltd ( brand: AirAsia India) into a larger low-cost carrier.
The AirAsia India brand retired on 31 October 2023, and the airline started operating flights for Air India Express. On 1 October 2024, AIX Connect merged into Air India Express.
The merged entity, which will operate under the ‘Air India Express’ name and a unified airline code IX, marks a significant milestone in the transformation journey of Air India Group that will merge four airlines into two. The group is merging Vistara into Air India to set up a world-class global airline.
The merger process for Air India Express was completed in less than a year since the airline’s refreshed brand was unveiled.
Air India Express Managing Director Aloke Singh said, “About a year ago, we started integrating AIX Connect and Air India Express, bringing the two organisations together behind a common brand.
“Alongside, we worked on the complex integration exercise culminating today in the operational and legal merger of the two organisations.”
Air India Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Air India Express, Campbell Wilson, said: “The integration of AIX Connect with Air India Express is an important milestone in Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformation journey. This merger will be followed by the merger of Vistara into Air India on 12 November.”
With the merger completed, Air India Express will focus on a future growth and transformation agenda. The airline’s fleet size has already grown to 88 aircraft, with nearly four new aircraft continuing to join each month. The fleet is expected to cross 100 aircraft by the end of the financial year, with a network footprint spanning India, Gulf and Southeast Asia.
The number of routes AIX operates has risen from 74 to 171, and passenger carriage has increased by over 400% since the Tata group took over Air India in early 2022.
In October 2023, the airline unveiled the unified brand ‘Air India Express’. Since then, flights operated by AIX Connect have also been marketed under the ‘Air India Express’ brand, with necessary regulatory approval.
