 "Air India")
Air India's two low-cost subsidiaries, Air India Express and AirAsia India, have moved to a single unified reservation system and adopted a common social media and customer support channel.
"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," said Air India's statement.
This system and website merger comes five months after AirAsia India was fully acquired by Tata Group-owned Air India, and three months after both AirAsia India and Air India Express were placed under a single CEO, Aloke Singh.
In the coming months, the two airlines will continue integrating other internal systems. Eventually, the air operating permits and regulatory posts will also be merged, the statement mentioned.
"On March 27, the two low-cost airlines moved to a single, unified reservation system and website, and adopted common social media and customer support channels," it said.
Air India Express primarily operates flights between India and the Gulf. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the airline currently operates about 623 flights a week.
AirAsia India flies only within India and currently operates 1,400 flights a week. Air India Express and AirAsia India are low-cost carriers that fly only narrow-body aircraft, which travel shorter distances than wide-body planes.
Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD of Air India, said, “The integration of the core reservations 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 optimized for low-cost airlines, gives the Group a much stronger LCC (low-cost carrier) platform," he added.
Last month, Air India placed an order for 470 planes, with 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. This is the world's largest ever single tranche aircraft order.
