100th aircraft of Air India Express featuring indigenous Chittara art of Karnataka on tail flagged off from KIA Bengaluru

From a fleet of 26 Boeing 737 NGs and 28 A320 aircraft, the airline has almost doubled its fleet to 100 aircraft. The airline, as part of its rapid network expansion, recently added Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Hindon, Jammu, Patna, and Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram), apart from international destinations — Bangkok and Phuket — to its growing network.

Air India Express inducted its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 737-8, which features ‘Chittara’ art, inspired by Karnataka’s traditional mural painting, on its tail, on March 10.

The airline said that each aircraft in the Air India Express fleet is adorned with its unique ‘Tales of India’ tail art theme, and showcases the country’s diverse artistic heritage.

The livery features indigenous textile motifs and traditional art forms, such as Ajrakh, Bandhani, Banarasi, Ikat, Jaapi, Jamdani, Kalamkari, Kanjeevaram, Kolam, and Warli.

The 100th aircraft features Chittara art from Karnataka, an intricate folk art historically practised by the Deewaru community, symbolising prosperity and celebration. Created using natural colours on mud-coated surfaces, Chittara reflects a deep connection to nature and heritage.

The aircraft was flagged off by Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, its largest hub, from where the airline operates over 445 flights.

This aircraft will operate on the Bengaluru–Hindon route.

“The induction of our 100th aircraft marks a defining moment in the growth and transformation journey of Air India Express. In just over three years since privatisation, we integrated and merged the LCC airlines, while scaling up rapidly with a modern and fuel-efficient fleet, broad basing our domestic network, deepening and expanding our Middle East and Southeast Asia routes. Today, we have a formidable presence in the India market focused towards Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the emerging hotspots of the economy, playing a pivotal role in the next stage of India’s aviation growth story,” Mr. Singh said.