Air India Express aims to augment capacity via retrofit
Mumbai: A Tata Group-owned Air India Express (AIX) flight during the unveiling of its new brand identity and aircraft livery, in Mumbai, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Air India Express, promoted by the Tata Group, is set to enhance capacity and improve cost efficiency through a newly launched cabin retrofit programme, sources told businessline.
The airline plans to add approximately 650 additional seats across its Boeing 737-8 fleet under this initiative, say sources.
“The added capacity is equivalent to introducing four new aircraft into the fleet, thereby significantly boosting overall capacity,” one of the sources said.
The programme is part of a broader effort to standardise cabin configurations across the Boeing 737-8 fleet.
As per industry insiders, the airline aims to replace the current mix of business and economy seating with a uniform all-economy layout, ensuring operational consistency and improved efficiency.
Presently, Air India Express operates 116 aircraft — 76 Boeing 737s and 40 Airbus A320s — many of which were sourced through remarketing channels after being initially built for other carriers, including Chinese airlines.
These aircraft came with varied seating layouts, which, according to a source, created operational complexity for a carrier that relies on quick turnarounds and high utilisation.
“This variation in configuration poses challenges for our quick-turnaround model,” the source explained.
“Once the retrofit is complete, every aircraft will have a standard economy-class layout, allowing faster services and a consistent product experience.”
Accordingly, seat densification is a key component of the retrofit, with Air India Express planning to standardise all Boeing 737-8s to 189 all-economy seats.
This step, sources said, will increase seating capacity equivalent to four additional aircraft without expanding the fleet, while reducing unit operating costs by nearly 15 per cent.
Besides, the unified cabin design is expected to yield multiple efficiencies — from shorter turnaround times and simplified maintenance to reduced spare-parts inventory and lower crew training costs.
The cost base will thus be distributed over a larger number of seats, enhancing cost competitiveness.
Furthermore, a uniform cabin layout will give the airline greater flexibility in deploying aircraft across domestic and international routes.
Additionally, the retrofit will streamline crew operations, particularly important for an airline that currently operates over 500 daily flights across 41 domestic and 17 international airports.
“Consistency in cabin layout ensures that cabin crew and engineering teams can work across aircraft seamlessly, without extra training or last-minute adjustments,” a source added.
In addition, industry executives noted that the strategy mirrors practice of successful low-cost carriers globally, where fleet standardisation is key to maintaining low costs and high aircraft utilisation.
While the transition involves temporary grounding and upfront expenses, insiders maintain that the long-term gains in efficiency and passenger experience will more than offset these short-term challenges.
“Standardising our fleet layout is a crucial step towards strengthening cost and operational efficiency,” said a senior Air India Express executive.
“It enhances flexibility across our network, improves turnaround times, and elevates guest experience. These upgrades reflect our focus on building a structurally efficient, high-performance airline capable of sustaining growth and profitability.”
Since its integration into the Tata Group, Air India Express has expanded from about 25–30 aircraft to a fleet exceeding 110, now operating across 60 stations.
Published on October 26, 2025
