Air India Express continues its international expansion and will soon launch two new routes to Dammam, from Mumbai and Hyderabad. The airline is now larger following its merger with the former AirAsia India, and several domestic routes also become part of the overall network.

New flights to Dammam

Air India Express has announced that it will launch daily non-stop flights to Dammam from Mumbai and Hyderabad from January 19. The airline wants to expand its international reach this winter and the new routes are part of that plan. Tara Naidu, Vice President, International Business, Air India Express, said:

Network expansion

Air India Express' new international flights are part of its broader international expansion plans this winter season. The Middle East remains the airline's top international region, with more than 2,600 return flights to various destinations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain and Jeddah in the month of December, according to Cirium.

Starting December 17, Air India Express will also fly non-stop between Surat in the state of Gujarat and Dubai four times a week. This route had been in high demand for years, mainly due to Surat's important diamond industry and Dubai being a large diamond trader.

Although Singapore is the only destination on Air India Express' Southeast Asia network (it flies to SIN from three Indian cities: Madurai, Chennai and Tiruchirappalli), there are reportedly plans to fly to other popular destinations in the near future, including Thailand and Malaysia.

The airline now has an extensive domestic network after integrating its operations with AirAsia India and recently announced the launch of its service from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh to Hyderabad in Telangana.

Fleet expansion

Air India Express has 34 Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet, three of which are new 737 MAX aircraft. Air India has ordered 190 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that will continue to arrive for Air India Express in the coming years.

The latest MAX planes were initially destined for a Chinese airline and feature premium seats, which the airline has begun selling with the recently launched Vista VIP fare. The airline will take delivery of more than 50 new aircraft over the next fifteen months and will also hire more than 300 pilots in the coming months to support that growth.