Air India will continue operating from Delhi and will not launch flights from Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar upon its expected opening in June. In the immediate, Air India’s focus is on maximising traffic growth at its Delhi hub by opening new routes and tweaking schedules.
While Air India will operate solely from Delhi, its no frill brand Air India Express will operate from Noida and Hindon airports in addition to Delhi.
Air India is also seeking a clarity from Adani Airport Holdings Limited regarding shifting of flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai airport. Navi Mumbai airport is due for inauguration in June.
“We have got internal plans regarding operations from Navi Mumbai. However Adani Airports is not clear regarding the distribution of flights between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. We are working with them,” a senior Air India official said.
The decision to stay put in Delhi for the time being is driven by limited capacity addition and ongoing retrofit of its planes.
“Why would we split the hub across the two airports (Delhi and Noida). Fundamentally, that is the issue,” he remarked. Air India wants to ensure that its aircraft are deployed on the most productive routes, he added.
Delhi airport sees over 1200 air traffic movements (departures plus arrivals) daily. Air India is the second largest airline operating at Delhi after IndiGo with 436 daily flights planned in March. In contrast Air India Express has 96 flights daily including departures and arrivals.
In addition to domestic routes, Air India’s network spans Europe, North America, East Asia and Australia. The airline also has made changes in its schedules to offer better connections to passengers from Europe to Asia/Australia via Delhi. It has also stitched partnerships with foreign airlines and is offering more destinations through codeshares.