The Rise of Air India Express: New Livery and Ambitious Growth

Many overlook Air India Express, the low-cost arm of Indian flag carrier Air India. However, the subsidiary has embarked on a new chapter in its history, much like its parent company.

Following Air India's massive rebrand and introduction of a new brand identity, Air India Express has also unveiled its new livery and ambitious growth plans.

New-Look Fleet

Air India Express unveiled its new livery in Mumbai on a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8, VT-BXA. This aircraft is one of two MAX jets the carrier has received. The new livery has also been unveiled on an Airbus A320neo, VT-ATD, which was transferred to Air India Express from AIX Connect (formerly known as AirAsia India).

Air India Express' new livery largely follows the template of its parent company's new branding. The only major difference lies in the color palette Air India Express chose. 

The new livery of Air India Express heavily employs orange and turquoise, with appearances of tangerine and ice blue as well. The tail and underbelly accents are identical in design to Air India's, with the only differences again being the colors.

Air India Express's current livery on its 737-800 fleet is unique in that each aircraft has an amazing set of tail art. Much like Frontier Airlines and its animals, each Air India Express 737-800 features two notable Indian landmarks, one on each side of the aircraft's vertical stabilizer.

With the new branding, what will become of this iconic trademark of Air India Express' livery has been discussed. The carrier answers that each aircraft will feature a unique tail design inspired by India's arts and crafts heritage. This concept is dubbed "The Patterns of India". 

Therefore, while the tail art featuring notable landmarks will be gone, the new unique designs featured on the tails of each plane will pay homage to that legendary aspect of Air India Express.

Ambitious Fleet and Growth

Air India Express is expecting up to 168 more 737 MAX deliveries over the years, a massive influx of planes included in Air India Group's mammoth 470-aircraft order a few months earlier.

It's worth mentioning that the two current MAX jets and the next seven incoming MAXs are airframes destined for Chinese carriers but still need to be taken up. As such, Air India Express was able to pick up these planes for a cheaper price.

The TATA takeover of Air India Group earlier this year will greatly consolidate Air India's subsidiaries to streamline operations. As hinted at earlier, AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) will be fully absorbed into the larger Air India Express brand. All AIX Connect A320 jets will soon wear Air India Express colors.

AIX Connect has a fleet of 26 A320s and five A320neos. As discussed earlier, one A320neo has already been transferred to Air India Express and painted into the new livery. Though Air India Express will receive all of these transferred Airbuses, it has no orders for Airbus aircraft. All of its orders are for Boeing 737 MAX jets.

A growing fleet requires more staff. As such, Air India Express is set to hire 350 pilots who are currently undergoing training. This move will nearly double the number of pilots flying for the airline. Air India will also reportedly vacate certain markets in the domestic Indian aviation industry. This decision will make Air India Express more competitive, especially against low-cost giant IndiGo.

Air India Express has largely remained a connector between the Southern state of Kerala and major cities in the Gulf countries. This new chapter will see the subsidiary maintain that aspect while becoming a larger and more affordable carrier for the traveling Indian public.