Air India to focus on low cost service AI Express: Arvind Jadhav

Mumbai: National carrier Air India has said it was no longer pursuing a plan to launch a separate brand for an all-economy, no-frills service, similar to Jet Airways' Jet Konnect, given the changed market conditions and would instead rely on its existing low cost service, Air India Express, to deliver the goods.

"We would have come out with a separate brand. But since we have the Air India Express (low-cost), we will expand under that brand rather than coming out with a Konnect-kind of concept," Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav Jadhav said at a press conference here.

In the all-economy, no-frills service, fares are lower than that offered by full service airlines but higher than those of low cost carriers.

Both Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have launched the all-economy, no-frills service concept after experiencing massive declines in passenger volumes, mainly in the business class.

The airline would rather expand its services offered through low-cost carrier Air India Express on domestic routes, Jadhav said.

Currently, Air India Express plies on international routes.