Air India Express Adds 4 International Routes: When Each Starts

Air India Express is opening four new international routes and reviving two more inside a single three day window at the end of October. Schedule filings reported on September 14, 2026 put the first departures on October 25, the day the IATA northern winter season begins.

Two of the four new routes go to Bangkok, which makes this a Thailand story as much as a Gulf one. Anyone booking the new Kochi or Visakhapatnam nonstops can start with our guide to things to do in Bangkok, because both flights land at hours that decide what your first day looks like.

The Four New Routes and Their Exact Dates

Amritsar to Abu Dhabi and Kochi to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi both begin on October 25. Amritsar runs three times a week on the A320neo, while Kochi is the busier of the two at four weekly on a Boeing 737-800.

Mangalore to Ras al Khaimah follows on October 26 at two weekly, and Visakhapatnam to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi starts on October 27, also at two weekly. Both of those use the Boeing 737 MAX 8.

The pattern is a low cost carrier adding thin, targeted frequencies rather than daily service. Two and three weekly routes reward travelers who can move their dates rather than those who need a specific departure day.

Two Bangkok Nonstops in Three Days

The Kochi flight is the one with published timings. Onmanorama reported on September 8 that it operates Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving Kochi at 10:15 p.m. and reaching Bangkok at 3:55 a.m., with the return at 4:55 a.m. into Kochi at 7:40 a.m.

That is a red eye in both directions, so budget for a 4:00 a.m. arrival in Bangkok with no hotel check in for hours. It is a real cost of the cheaper seat, and it is the single most useful fact in the whole schedule.

Kochi is not a monopoly route either. The same report notes that AirAsia and Thai Lion Air already fly Kochi to Bangkok nonstop, so the new service adds competition rather than access.

The Visakhapatnam flight is the better timed of the two. Deccan Chronicle reported IX904 leaving at 11:30 a.m. and landing at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, with IX903 returning overnight on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Local reporting places those flights at Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram, which serves Visakhapatnam, while the filing lists the city name.

The Two Revivals, and the Gap Hiding in One

Chandigarh to Sharjah comes back on October 26 at four weekly on the A320, three years after it was last served in October 2023. Mumbai to Kuwait City returns on October 27 at three weekly, also on the A320, after last operating in March 2025.

The Chandigarh route carries a catch worth reading twice. The filing shows no service at all from December 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027, which removes the route for the entire peak winter holiday period before it resumes in February.

That makes the revival useful for late October and November travel and useless for a Christmas or New Year trip. If Sharjah over the holidays is the plan, treat this route as unavailable and book something else now.

Why the October 25 Date Matters

October 25, 2026 is the first day of the IATA northern winter season, when carriers worldwide switch to their winter schedules. Clustering six route changes on and around that date is normal practice rather than a coincidence.

It also means these routes are loaded into booking systems as winter season services, so availability beyond late March 2027 is a separate question the filing does not answer. Check the return leg before assuming a spring trip is bookable.