Air India Revamps Major Domestic Metro Routes After Vistara Merger

Air India has announced changes to its domestic flight network following the merger with Vistara, effective 1 December. The airline will now operate its top narrowbody aircraft on five busy metro-to-metro routes, providing better services for passengers.

All flights on these routes will be operated using former Vistara A320 planes, which will offer business, premium economy, and economy class options.

Key Metro Routes Covered

Air India announced that flights will operate on the following routes:

• Delhi-Mumbai,
• Delhi-Bengaluru,
• Delhi-Hyderabad,
• Mumbai-Bengaluru, and
• Mumbai-Hyderabad

These services will be identified by ‘AI’ four-digit flight numbers starting with ‘2’, such as AI2999 for Delhi to Mumbai.

Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director, Air India stated, “The merger of Vistara into Air India has unlocked many new opportunities to improve our customer offering. By combining the strengths of both full-service carriers, we are able to consolidate our best narrowbody offering on routes where there is desire for a high-frequency, full-service product.”

Air India now operates over 1,000 weekly round-trip flights on these key routes:

• 56 daily flights between Delhi and Mumbai,
• 36 daily between Delhi and Bengaluru,
• 24 daily between Delhi and Hyderabad,
• 22 daily between Mumbai and Bengaluru, and
• 18 daily between Mumbai and Hyderabad

“We will progressively expand the coverage to more routes as Air India inducts new aircraft and completes the retrofit of our legacy narrowbody fleet during 2025,” Wilson added.

According to the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in October, Air India, including Air India Express, held a market share of 19.4%, while Vistara, now merged with Air India, had a 9.1% share.

The airline however confirmed it will continue operating one widebody flight daily on routes between Delhi and Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, using Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 aircraft, with flight numbers starting with ‘AI’ and three digits.

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