AI Express to phase out biz class seats by 2025; to have 100 planes by Dec

Air India Express, which is set to complete the merger of AIX Connect with itself next month, will phase out business class seats in its aircraft in 2025, according to a senior airline official.

Currently, the carrier, part of Tata Group, has a fleet of 85 aircraft -- 25 A320 family planes and 60 Boeing 737s. By year-end, the total number is expected to be around 100.

The airline has 34 white tail Boeing 737-8 aircraft and out of them, 29 have business class seats of varying numbers. Their count will rise to 50 by the end of this year.

Generally, white tail planes are those that were originally manufactured for a particular airline and later taken by another airline.

The airline official told PTI that aircraft with the business class seats will be phased out by reconfiguring them next year as business class does not fit into the Air India Express model.

These white tail aircraft have varying number of business class seats, the official added.

In the existing fleet of Air India Express, there are 20 A320s, 5 A320 neos, 26 B737-NGs and 34 B737-8 planes.

At present, the airline offers economy and business class seats.

The global aviation industry continues to grapple with supply chain woes that have also resulted in instances of delayed aircraft deliveries and shortage of planes amid rising air traffic demand post the coronavirus pandemic.

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, operates more than 380 daily flights, connecting 32 domestic and 14 international destinations.

In February 2023, Tata Group-owned Air India placed orders for 470 planes comprising 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. Out of the total, 400 are narrow body aircraft.

Tata Group has four airlines -- Air India, Vistara, Air India Express and AIX Connect -- earlier known as AirAsia India.

The merger of AIX Connect with Air India Express is set to be completed on October 1 while that of Vistara with Air India on November 12.