Air India plans to increase international flights to Dubai and Qatar as part of winter schedule

As part of plans to increase its presence on international routes, Air India plans to start new flights to Qatar and Dubai as part of its winter schedule.

The airline plans to add four weekly flights from Kolkata, Mumbai and  Delhi to Dubai, multiple company officials told Moneycontrol.

The airline is also looking to add six weekly flights between India and Qatar, between Delhi, Mumbai, and Doha, depending on available slots.

"Air India is looking to take advantage of the high passenger traffic to Dubai and Qatar due to the FIFA World Cup in November," a senior company official said.

While Air India is confident about increasing weekly flights to Doha as part of the winter schedule, adding flights to Dubai may need some government approvals.

"We are currently using all our 69 entitled flights to fly into Dubai. Additional routes will require a change in bilateral agreements," the person said.

Leasing plans

Air India is planning to use its Airbus A320 Neo planes on these routes and will also look to lease around five more Airbus A321 aircraft if it manages to add additional flights to both Dubai and Doha.

"Air India is in discussion with multiple leasing companies for A321 Neos. While discussions are in the preliminary stages, a bigger push is expected when there is more clarity on slot availability," another company official said.

The airline has 70 narrow-body planes of which 54 are currently serviceable; it has 43 Air wide-body aircraft, of which 33 are operational.

Air India responded to emails sent by Moneycontrol with a statement that it was continuously looking to expand operations to cater to customer demand as part of its transformation roadmap, put in place after its transfer to the Tata Group.

"We are also evaluating new routes as part of the process. Air India has strong connectivity with key centers in the Middle East and we are a trusted brand in the region. However, we will not be able to comment specifically on the UAE and Qatar sector,” the statement said.

The airline under its new owners is in the process of expanding its international presence and restoring Air India’s global reputation.

Moneycontrol in June reported that Tata Group was looking to significantly expand the international operations of Air India Express in the next five years and will look to infuse $75-100 million in the airline as part of its expansion plan.

Air India Express is looking at around 30 countries including, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam to expand its international operations in the next few years, Air India Express' chief of commercial operations Tara Naidu had said.

Last month, it was reported that Air India Express may add four Boeing 737 planes to its fleet of 24 aircraft by this year-end to meet increased demand for international travel.

Last week, reports said Air India was planning to lease six Boeing 777 airplanes in the next few months to double down on flight frequencies to North America.

The airline is also going to place a mega order for both new wide-body aircraft, the Airbus A350, and single-aisle planes.

Airline mergers

The Tata Group currently operates four airlines under its brand including full-service carriers Air India and Vistara as well as budget airlines Air India Express and AirAsia India.

While Air India and Vistara are expected to be merged into one airline, Air India Express, it is speculated, would be combined with AirAsia India to form the Tata Group's consolidated budget entity.

In April, Air India sought approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to acquire AirAsia India, in which the Tatas have a majority stake of 83.67 percent.

While there has been no formal announcement, the merger – if and when that happens – is expected to support Air India Express in furthering its future ambitions for regional expansion.