Air India Express on Monday announced a substantial expansion of its network and increased flight frequencies in anticipation of the heightened travel demand in the upcoming summer season. In its 2024 summer schedule, the airline will provide over 360 daily departures, linking numerous business and leisure destinations.
Compared to last year summer season, there’s a notable growth in the network, with a more than 25% rise in domestic and over 20% increase in international flights. This equates to 55 additional domestic flights and 19 more international flights, resulting in a total of 259 domestic and 109 international departures.
The airline plans to enhance its flight frequencies to international destinations like Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Jeddah, and Sharjah. Additionally, it aims to strengthen its network by increasing both domestic and international frequencies from Ayodhya, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kannur, Kolkata, Kochi, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Varanasi, aiming to offer passengers a broader and more interconnected travel experience.
This comes at a time when Indian travellers brace for a hot summer of travel while airfares are also forecast to jump.
Reservations for India’s peak summer season from April to June have surged by 30-40% compared to the previous year, ET reported on March 15. According to officials from domestic airlines, although Indians are expected to travel extensively during the summer, the limited number of flights may lead to increased airfares.
IndiGo, the largest airline in the country, had announced plans to introduce new routes for both domestic and international flights during the summer season. Notably, the airline will commence flights from Bengaluru to Indonesia’s Bali by the end of March and enhance flight frequency between Mumbai and Colombo.
Private carrier SpiceJet has also announced that it has completed lease agreements for 10 aircraft in preparation for the upcoming summer schedule, typically characterised by increased demand.
Meanwhile, Indian carriers continue to grapple with aircraft-related challenges. Approximately 200 planes are expected to remain grounded due to engine issues and financial difficulties at struggling airlines. Moreover, carriers may have to cancel flights if the government does not postpone the implementation of new pilot duty hours, scheduled to take effect on June 1st.
