Joining the grand Onam festivities across Kerala, Air India Express introduced a brand-new Boeing 737-8 aircraft featuring tail art inspired by the traditional “Kasavu” design of Kerala at Cochin International Airport.

The Kasavu design, a handwoven fabric unique to Kerala, is known for its distinctive off-white or cream colour complemented by golden borders. Symbolising purity, prosperity, and auspiciousness, the fabric often features intricate motifs such as floral patterns, peacocks, elephants, and geometric designs. Kasavu is traditionally worn during auspicious occasions, especially festivals like Onam.

To mark this special occasion, Air India Express staff in Kochi welcomed the aircraft, registered as VT-BXM, dressed in traditional Kasavu dhotis and sarees. The airline’s boarding counters were adorned with Onam-themed decorations, including a Pookkalam, a floral arrangement, and each guest on this flight was warmly welcomed with a Kasavu shawl. The aircraft operated on the Kochi – Bengaluru route.

At its brand relaunch in October last year, Air India Express introduced a modern interpretation of its heritage tail art with the ‘Patterns of India’ theme, featuring unique tail designs on each new aircraft. Since the brand refresh, the airline has added 34 new aircraft to its fleet, each showcasing a distinctive tail design inspired by the rich textile patterns across the country.

Air India Express operates over 300 weekly departures from Kerala, reaffirming its commitment to providing quality service while celebrating the region’s rich cultural heritage.

Kochi:

Air India Express operates 102 weekly flights, connecting Kochi directly to four domestic destinations, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and 10 international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh, Salalah and Sharjah. The airline also provides convenient one-stop connectivity to 21 domestic destinations: Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Indore, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Mangaluru, Pune, Ranchi, Srinagar, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Varanasi and Vishakhapatnam, and internationally to Jeddah.

Thiruvananthapuram:

Air India Express, via 63 weekly departures, directly connects Thiruvananthapuram to four domestic destinations, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kannur, and eight international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Riyadh, and Sharjah. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 21 domestic destinations, including Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneshwar, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Ranchi, Surat, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam, and two international destinations, Jeddah and Singapore.

Kozhikode:

Air India Express operates 86 weekly flights from Kozhikode, connecting the city directly to one domestic destination: Bengaluru, and 13 international destinations, including Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Ras Al-Khaimah, Riyadh, Salalah and Sharjah. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 22 destinations: Ayodhya, Bagdogra, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Ranchi, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam.

Kannur:

Air India Express, via 57 weekly departures, directly connects Kannur to 11 international destinations: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Ras Al-Khaimah, Riyadh and Sharjah, and one domestic stop: Thiruvananthapuram.