NEW DELHI: Air India subsidiaries, Air India Express and AirAsia India, on Tuesday moved to a unified websit, reservation system and customer support channels. The move will enable passengers to manage bookings and check-in to AirAsia India and Air India Express domestic and international flights on the integrated website, Airindiaexpress.com, according to a statement by the group.
Air India chief executive officer Campbell Wilson said the integration of the core reservation and passenger-facing systems of Air India Express and AirAsia India “marks a significant milestone in the Air India Group’s transformation journey”.
“This new Air India Express, operating both domestically and internationally using systems optimised for low-cost airlines, gives the Group a much stronger LCC platform. Together with the Group’s recent, benchmark-setting aircraft order, this sets the scene for us to realise many new opportunities for customers, employees and Indian aviation,” he said, according to the statement.
This system merger comes five months after AirAsia India was fully acquired and subsidiarised under Air India, and three months after both AirAsia India and Air India Express were placed under a single CEO. The airlines will continue integrating other internal systems and, eventually, their air operating permits and regulatory posts.
AirAsia India flies to 19 destinations across the country while Air India Express operates to 14 international destinations from 19 Indian cities
Wilson said integration of Air India Express and Air India will bring revenue, cost, and operational benefits through broader adoption of each airlines’ best practices, systems, and routes, and confer greater economies of scale.
The new Air India Express will focus on leisure-oriented and price sensitive markets while improving connectivity between key domestic cities and Air India’s fast expanding international network. This migration, which largely involved Air India Express migrating to the systems used by AirAsia India, confers significant capability and efficiency benefits for the airline and passengers.
