Low-cost budget carrier AirAsia India on Wednesday announced induction of the seventh Airbus A-320 to its fleet. In addition, the airline also announced additional new routes to expand its network.
AirAsia India, which is a tie-up between Malaysian carrier AirAsia Bhd and Tata Sons group, has added south Indian city of Hyderabad in its network of destinations. The airline's new plane will operate on the new routes i.e. Bangalore-Guwahati, Bangalore-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Goa. The 180-seater capacity flight will begin operations from September 22, the company said.
Talking about the airline's expansion plans in terms of adding more routes, AirAsia India CEO Amar Abrol said the new flights would connect North East to the rest of the country, and that "the North East region is another important segment that AirAsia India is committed to."
On June 15, the civil aviation ministry unveiled the new civil aviation policy. Under the new policy, the aviation ministry scrapped one portion of contentious 5/20 rule. New airlines such as Vistara and AirAsia India will now be allowed to operate on international sectors if they have at least 20 aircraft in their fleets respectively.
AirAsia India said it plans to expand its fleet size over the next few months so that it can begin flying overseas.
Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru, Abrol also said, that the airline will receive a new round of funding from its two parent firms AirAsia Berhad and Tata Sons group. However, it did not disclose the total amount, which would be infused into its India operations.
Last month, the investors of AirAsia India, subsidiary of Malaysia-based AirAsia, had said they plan to infuse Rs. 234 crore in the airline.
AirAsia India, which began operations in June 2014, has flown over three million passengers till date. In the month of June, AirAsia India's domestic market share was recorded at 2.2 percent.
