TBM Staff - Mumbai
Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the Air India group, has decided to phase out business class seats from its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft starting next year. The move will transition these planes to an all-economy configuration, according to a senior airline official. This decision aligns with the airline’s budget carrier model, which traditionally operates all-economy cabins.
Currently, about 20 of the airline’s 33 “white-tail” Boeing 737 MAX planes have two-class cabins, inherited from other airlines that had cancelled their orders. These planes were acquired quickly to expand Air India Express’s fleet without waiting for new deliveries. While business class was offered on these planes to get them into service quickly, the airline will now focus on refitting them for a uniform economy class experience.
The airline plans to carefully schedule the cabin reconfigurations to avoid disruptions in operations. Converting these aircraft is a time-intensive process, but with a growing fleet, Air India Express expects to have the capacity to manage this transition efficiently.
Air India Express and AIX Connect, which is merging with the former, currently operate 84 aircraft, with 17 more expected by year-end. By 2028, the merged airline aims to grow its fleet to 180 aircraft as part of Air India’s broader expansion plans.
