DELHI: Air India’s low-cost arm Air India Express Ltd (AIEL) plans to launch four-times-a-week flight from Delhi to Tehran from early next year.
Shyam Sundar, Chief Executive of the airlines, said the flight is expected to be launched in March-April next year, reports Business Line.
The airline is also looking at a tie-up with Air India so that passengers have the option of taking domestic flights from Delhi to Goa, which is a popular tourist destination among Iranians.
The flight is also likely to appeal to Iranian students, many of whom are studying in Pune, Sundar added.
EXPANSION SPREE
Air India Express is looking to expand operations and grow rapidly in the near future.
Air India’s LCC arm started with a concentration on the Gulf routes but is now looking to expand.
Its scope is generally within four flying hours from Indian destinations. It currently flies out of 14 Indian destinations to an almost equal number of international destinations, most of which are in the Gulf and Arabia. It has of late expanded services to flights to destinations such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Air India Express currently does not fly to domestic routes, but Sundar does not rule out its possibility in the future.
Air India is currently said to be working on a long term vision for Air India Express, which is expected to take a further few months or possibly a year.
Among the other locations Air India Express is considering in the short term include Dhaka and Colombo. The routes have to be viable and feasible, stresses Sundar.
Musafir Namah Bureau
