New Delhi/Mumbai. Air India Express (AIX) Connect along with flight code ‘i5’ will become history in the first week of October as the low-cost carrier will merge with Air India Express. A senior official of the company told PTI-Basha this week that the merger process has been going on for almost a year.
He said that ‘everything is on track.’ Another official said AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) will be shut down after flying for 11 years. The aircraft registered under its Air Operating Certification (AOC) will be transferred to the AOC of Air India Express as part of the legal merger, which will come into force in the first week of October. Currently, Air India Express and AIX Connect operate around 400 flights daily. There are plans to expand operations in the coming months. Its fleet consists of 88 aircraft, which include 61 Boeing 737 NG and Max and 27 A320 CEO and Neo.
The official said that with the legal merger, all flights of the erstwhile AIX Connect will be operated with the airline code of Air India Express – ‘IX’ and will not have the code ‘I5’. The official said a ‘war room’ has been functioning for the last three months to ensure smooth functioning of the merger as multiple stakeholders, including lessees and airports, are involved in the process. He said that this process will also be a model for the future. The merger of both Tata Group companies – Vistara and Air India is to take place in November.