Air India optimises key domestic metro routes post Vistara merger, BA

Post Vistara-integration, national carrier Air India on Wednesday announced an optimisation of its domestic route network that will prioritise deployment of its best narrowbody cabin products on five key metro-to-metro routes, beginning December 1. This will see all flights between select metro cities operated with erstwhile Vistara A320-series aircraft offering business, premium economy and economy class.

The routes are Delhi and Mumbai; Delhi and Bengaluru; Delhi and Hyderabad; Mumbai and Bengaluru and Mumbai and Hyderabad, Air India said in a statement. These flights will operate with ‘AI’-prefixed four-digit flight numbers beginning with ‘2’, such as AI2999 from Delhi to Mumbai.

“The merger of Vistara into Air India has unlocked many new opportunities to improve our customer offering. By combining the strengths of both full-service carriers, we are able to consolidate our best narrowbody offering on routes where there is desire for a high-frequency, full-service product,” said Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director, Air India.

Air India now offers more than 1,000 weekly flights (round trips) on these key routes — 56x daily on Delhi-Mumbai, 36x daily on Delhi-Bengaluru, 24x daily on Delhi-Hyderabad, 22x daily on Mumbai-Bengaluru, and 18x daily on Mumbai-Hyderabad.

“We will progressively expand the coverage to more routes as Air India inducts new aircraft and completes the retrofit of our legacy narrowbody fleet during 2025,” Wilson added.

In October, Air India, including Air India Express, recorded a market share of 19.4 per cent, while Vistara, which has now merged into Air India, accounted for 9.1 per cent market share, according to latest data by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The national carrier said it will continue to operate one widebody flight each between Delhi and Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad using its Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 aircraft, which will have ‘AI’-prefixed three-digit flight numbers.

Earlier this month, the Air India Group completed operational integration and legal merger between Air India and Vistara. Post-merger, Air India Group will operate a combined fleet of 300 aircraft covering 55 domestic and 48 international destinations, with 312 routes and 8,300 flights per week. The collective staff strength now stands at over 30,000.