Air India Express has announced a major expansion of its domestic network with the addition of Aurangabad, Coimbatore, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Madurai, and Tirupati. With these new destinations, the airline's network will grow to 64 destinations, comprising 48 domestic and 16 international stations.

Flight operations to all six destinations will begin on 1 September 2026, connecting them with key metro hubs including Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. The expansion is aimed at improving connectivity between India's major cities and fast-growing business, industrial, cultural, and tourism destinations. Bookings are now open through the airline's website, mobile app, and other major booking platforms.

As part of the new schedule, Air India Express will operate two daily flights between Aurangabad and Delhi, Coimbatore and Mumbai, and Jamnagar and Mumbai. The airline will also introduce daily services connecting Jodhpur with Delhi and Mumbai, Madurai with Chennai, and Tirupati with Hyderabad.

Alongside the network expansion, the airline will increase frequencies on several existing domestic routes from 1 September 2026. Additional daily flights will be introduced between Delhi and Bhubaneswar, Kochi, Patna, and Varanasi. This will increase services to four daily flights on the Delhi–Bhubaneswar and Delhi–Patna routes, while Delhi–Kochi and Delhi–Varanasi will each operate twice daily.

The newly added destinations strengthen Air India Express' presence across western, southern, and northern India. Aurangabad, the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora, and Jamnagar, a key industrial and energy hub, enhance the airline's footprint in western India. In the south, Coimbatore, a leading manufacturing and textile centre, joins the historic city of Madurai and the pilgrimage destination of Tirupati. Jodhpur, one of Rajasthan's most popular tourism and cultural centres, further strengthens the airline's northern India network.

The latest expansion follows a series of recent developments by Air India Express. The airline recently launched operations from Bhopal with daily flights to Delhi and Mumbai, became the first airline to introduce international flights from Navi Mumbai with services to Abu Dhabi, and also launched the first-ever direct air connectivity between Northeast India and the UAE through flights from Guwahati to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

New Routes Effective 1 September 2026

Additional Daily Flights from 1 September 2026

• Delhi – Bhubaneswar (4 daily flights)

• Delhi – Patna (4 daily flights)

• Delhi – Kochi (2 daily flights)

• Delhi – Varanasi (2 daily flights)
  

With this expansion, Air India Express will operate over 2,700 weekly domestic flights, offering passengers more travel options while strengthening connectivity between India's metropolitan gateways and emerging cities.

Air India has announced a new codeshare partnership with Azerbaijan Airlines, expanding its international network and offering passengers more convenient travel options between India and Baku. The agreement is expected to strengthen business, tourism and cultural ties between the two countries while improving connectivity across both airlines' networks.

As part of the partnership, Air India will place its 'AI' designator code on Azerbaijan Airlines-operated flights between Delhi and Baku and Mumbai and Baku. The arrangement introduces Baku as a new destination for Air India customers, a route that is not currently served by the airline's own aircraft.

Passengers travelling from Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian cities can now book their journey to Baku on a single Air India ticket, with the flight carrying an Air India flight number while being operated by Azerbaijan Airlines.

The codeshare builds on the existing interline agreement between the two carriers, enabling travellers to book seamless journeys on a single itinerary across both airline networks. For example, a passenger travelling from Bangkok can fly with Air India to Delhi and then connect to Baku on an Azerbaijan Airlines flight under one booking.

Commenting on the partnership, Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said:

"At Air India, we believe every corner of the world should be within reach of our customers. Partnerships like this one with Azerbaijan Airlines are central to that vision; they allow us to extend our network beyond the destinations we fly to ourselves. Through this codeshare, our customers travelling to Baku will enjoy convenience and reliability from booking their ticket to check-in and touchdown. This is part of a broader effort to keep strengthening connectivity between India and the rest of the world."

Jamil Manizade, Chief Commercial Officer, Azerbaijan Airlines, added:

"India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets and an increasingly important destination for both business and leisure travel. Our partnership with Air India is an important step in expanding Azerbaijan Airlines' international connectivity through strategic partnerships. By bringing together the strengths of our networks, we are offering passengers greater choice, enhanced connectivity and a more seamless travel experience between Azerbaijan, India and beyond."

Since its privatisation in 2022, Air India has significantly expanded its global partnership network. The airline now has 26 codeshare partnerships and more than 120 interline agreements with leading global carriers, providing customers with seamless access to over 1,000 destinations worldwide.

Air India Express has commenced operations from Raja Bhoj Airport, Bhopal, with the launch of two daily flights to Delhi and one daily flight to Mumbai, strengthening air connectivity from the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.

The inaugural Delhi-bound flight departed Bhopal at 12:45 PM and arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 2:15 PM, while the first Mumbai service departed at 1:40 PM, reaching Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 3:25 PM.

With the addition of Bhopal to its network, Air India Express now operates approximately 55 weekly flights across Bhopal, Gwalior, and Indore, further expanding its presence in Madhya Pradesh.

The latest expansion follows the airline's recent launch of direct international services between Indore and Abu Dhabi, reinforcing its commitment to improving regional and international connectivity from the state.

The newly introduced services are expected to support tourism, business travel, trade, and economic growth while providing passengers with greater travel flexibility between Madhya Pradesh and two of India's busiest metropolitan cities.

Bookings for the new routes are available through the Air India Express website, mobile application, and other major travel booking platforms.

As part of its Tales of India initiative, Air India Express also continues to showcase India's cultural heritage through aircraft tail art. Madhya Pradesh is represented on the airline's Boeing 737-8 fleet with designs inspired by the state's renowned Bagh hand-block printing and Chanderi handwoven textile traditions.

Air India Express, a Tata enterprise, currently operates more than 500 daily flights connecting 43 domestic and 16 international destinations across South, Southeast, and West Asia with a fleet of over 100 Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.