Air India Express will add more than 40 new routes and lift weekly capacity to nearly 4,100 flights from October 25, 2026, the low-cost carrier said on October 5, in its largest winter schedule to date.

The expansion will lift daily departures to around 585 once the rollout completes in phases, comprising approximately 435 domestic and up to 150 international sectors a day. Weekly operations will climb by roughly 30% from the Summer 2026 baseline of about 3,150 flights. One-stop connections through the network will rise from approximately 1,330 to nearly 1,600 per week.

A fleet of more than 105 aircraft underpins the schedule, the airline said.

What is driving the capacity build-up?

Chairman Nipun Aggarwal framed the move as a bet on India's growth trajectory and on the resilience of price-sensitive traffic against higher fuel costs.

"The scale of our Winter Schedule 2026 reflects both our confidence in India's growth story and the increasing importance of air connectivity in supporting trade, tourism, and economic development," Aggarwal said. He added: "Even as the industry navigates elevated fuel costs and broader operating challenges, we remain committed to disciplined, sustainable growth and delivering meaningful value to our guests through a relevant network."

Which international markets get the new routes?

The international file skews toward the Gulf and Southeast Asia, where Air India Express has concentrated the bulk of its long-haul low-cost presence.

New sectors include:

• Bengaluru–Kathmandu, daily
• Chennai–Singapore, twice daily
• Delhi–Riyadh, four weekly
• Lucknow–Riyadh, three weekly
• Lucknow–Ras Al Khaimah, four weekly
• Indore–Bangkok and Kochi–Bangkok, four weekly each
• Visakhapatnam–Bangkok, two weekly
• Hyderabad–Phuket, four weekly

Additional Gulf additions cover Abu Dhabi–Goa (Mopa), Amritsar–Abu Dhabi, Bahrain–Thiruvananthapuram, Bhopal–Sharjah, Chandigarh–Sharjah, Dubai–Goa (Dabolim), Kochi–Kuwait, Mangaluru–Kuwait, Mangaluru–Ras Al Khaimah, Mumbai–Kuwait, Riyadh–Thiruvananthapuram and Sharjah–Surat.

How does the domestic map change?

Bengaluru takes the largest injection of new domestic flying, with twice-daily services to Coimbatore plus daily flights to Goa (Mopa), Jodhpur and Madurai.

Delhi gains daily links to Ahmedabad, Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) and Udaipur, plus five weekly to Jaipur. Other additions include Bhubaneswar–Sri Vijaya Puram, Bhopal–Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad–Mangaluru, Hyderabad–Pune, Indore–Navi Mumbai, Kolkata–Pune and Mumbai–Nagpur.

What does the capacity step mean for unit economics?

The 950-flight weekly addition against a 105-aircraft base lifts average sector utilisation sharply, particularly if the 150 international sectors pull higher-yielding Gulf traffic through secondary Indian points such as Bhopal, Indore, Lucknow and Mangaluru. Aggarwal's reference to "disciplined, sustainable growth" leaves open the question of how aggressively the carrier will stimulate fares to fill the new sectors.

The Winter 2026 schedule will roll out in phases from October 25, with load-factor and revenue performance over the December peak quarter likely to shape the next round of network decisions across the 105-aircraft base.