BENGALURU, Mar 10 : Marking a significant milestone in its ambitious expansion, Air India Express has inducted its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 737-8, featuring ‘Chittara’ tail art inspired by Karnataka’s traditional mural painting.
The aircraft was flagged off by Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, at Kempegowda International Airport, the airline’s largest hub, from where it operates over 445 weekly flights.
Following the ceremony, the aircraft commenced operations on the Bengaluru Hindon route. The addition of Hindon (Ghaziabad, Delhi NCR) to the airline’s network earlier this month underscores its rapid growth, making Air India Express the first and only carrier serving two airports in the National Capital Region.
Speaking on the occasion, Singh said, “The induction of our 100th aircraft marks a defining moment in the growth and transformation journey of Air India Express. In just over three years since privatisation, we integrated and merged the LCC airlines while scaling up rapidly with a modern and fuel-efficient fleet, broadening our domestic network, and expanding our presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Today, we have a formidable presence in India, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, which are key to the next stage of the country’s aviation growth story.”
Since joining the Tata group in January 2022, Air India Express has nearly doubled its fleet from 54 aircraft to 100. As part of its network expansion, the airline has recently introduced new destinations, including Bangkok, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Hindon, Jammu, Patna, Phuket, and Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram).
In addition to fleet and network expansion, Air India Express has enhanced its service offerings with innovations such as ‘Gourmair’ hot meals, Xpress Biz seats, an enhanced loyalty programme, and XpressHolidays, which provides seamless travel packages combining flights, accommodations, and experiences. Under its ‘Fly As You Are’ brand proposition, passengers can customise their journey with four distinct fare options, including XpressLite, India’s only special fare for travellers carrying cabin baggage alone.
Each aircraft in the Air India Express fleet carries unique ‘Tales of India’ tail art, showcasing indigenous textile motifs and traditional art forms such as Ajrakh, Bandhani, Banarasi, Ikat, Jaapi, Jamdani, Kalamkari, Kanjeevaram, Kolam, Warli, and more.
The 100th aircraft continues this tradition with Chittara art from Karnataka, an intricate folk art historically practised by the Deewaru community. Created using natural colours on mud-coated surfaces, Chittara symbolises prosperity and celebration, reflecting India’s rich artistic heritage.
(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
