Delhi Delhi. AIX Connect and the airline designator code 'I5' will be a thing of the past in the first week of October, as the merger of this no-frills carrier with Air India Express has become a reality. Earlier this week a senior airline official spoke about the merger process. “Everything is on track,” About told PTI. The process has been going on for about a year. AIX Connect, formerly known as AirAsia India, will shut down after flying for 11 years. Another official said the aircraft registered under its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) will be transferred to the AOC of Air India Express under the legal merger to come into effect in the first week of October.
Currently, Air India Express and AIX Connect operate around 400 flights daily and there are plans to expand operations in the coming months. It has a fleet of 88 aircraft, including 61 Boeing 737 NG and Max, and 27 A320 CEO and Neo. The official said that with the legal merger, all flights of erstwhile AIX Connect will be operated under Air India Express' airline designator code – 'IX. ' and will not have the code 'I5'. The official said a war room has been functioning for the last three months to ensure a smooth merger as the process involves multiple stakeholders including lessees and airports and added that the process will also be a template for the future.
Vistara is to be merged with Air India, part of the Tata Group, in November. With the legal merger of Air India Express and AIX Connect, there will also be a single rostering system for the crew of both the carriers, said a senior Air India Express pilot. Already, both airlines have a common website, delivery system and customer service. In July 2023, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved the operation of AIX Connect under the Air India Express brand. And in October last year, the airline unveiled a unified brand. The integration process over the past several months has covered a variety of areas, including human resources and flight networks. Overall, some challenges still remain relating to a section of cabin crew of Air India Express. In terms of manpower, there are around 6,000 employees including 1,500 cockpit crew. Cabin crew strength will be more than 4,000, including around 1,000 from AIX Connect.
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