Air India Express rebranding- My views and what's next for them.

After the grand reveal of the Air India livery, it was time for its subsidiary, Air India Express. Started in 2005 with the intention of providing service between the gulf and south-east Asia to the South of India, Air India Express is now thinking big for the long term. With their merger with AirAsia India, they now plan to take on the mighty indigo. And of course, not just like that, they're trying to take on Indigo with, of course, some style. On the 18th of October, Air India Express revealed its first 737MAX, the first aircraft of the 470 ordered by Air India group in February, with a new livery.

A Fresh, New Air India Express

The new brand reveal on the 18th of October

Photo-Mint

So, ladies and gentlemen, here is the all-new Air India Express and all I can say is, WOW! Never would I have thought that this livery would grow on me, especially emphasizing my displeasure in my Air India reveal blog post, The Air India Express livery, with a few tweaks on the new AI livery, is pretty good. Previously, Air India Express featured distinctive tail art on their 737-800. But now, the airline has adapted a more professional livery while also retaining a bit of heritage.

VT-AXU in the old livery, approaching Dubai.

Photo-Philipp Schuetz via Jet Photos

The new livery is a modification of the Air India "Vista" livery with orange, turquoise and silver colors being used. Also featured are distinctive tail designs, with this one featuring the "Bandhini" design which is a smart way through which they kept their legacy of tail airt alive. Personally, I quite liked this livery as it gives the Airline a clean and professional look and also, keeping traditions intact with the tail art. Another thing to point out is the fact that the orange livery also featured on the A320neo reminds me a lot of Indian airlines final livery and the livery on the 737max reminds me of Akasa Air. If the orange was intentional, it is a good tribute to Indian Airlines! Maybe an Indian airlines 737max retro livery, never say never! It's also worth noting that the 737Max with the new livery, has entered commercial service and so has an A320neo which has been repainted so hopefully in a few months, we would be able to see more of this beautiful livery in Airports across India and the world. Also worth noting is the fact that the rebranding has been far more effective and efficient rather than parent company Air India, case in point being the website for AIX has been upgraded while AI is yet to upgrade their website amidst a lot more things. Kudos to team AIX for that!

An Air India Express 737Max 8 registered VT-BXA spotted at Imphal Airport with the new livery.

Photo-norris_haobam via JetPhotos

An Air India Express A320neo registered VT-ATD on approach at Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. Note the Aircraft is still operating under AirAsia India.

Photo-Aneesh Bapaye via JetPhotos.

Soo...What's next for AIX.

As I had mentioned earlier, AIX, now a bigger airline after the AirAsia merger, is trying to make a foothold in the Indian market by positioning itself as India's Smart connecter and take on airlines like Indigo and SpiceJet. Not only domestic, but the airline also has international with planned flights to a number of countries which I had mentioned in a previous blog of mine. And now, some of the predictions are coming true as in a leaked image from Twitter showed Air India Expresses potential destinations map, they had in their event. Sorry for the bad quality as the photo is a screenshot.

To top all things, the airline, with its existing fleet, will take in 50 737MAX by mid 2024 which proves my point of Air India express's ambitions.