Network Thoughts

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[K @BOMLHR]

Air India group UAE operations in winter 26

Post the war related closures, AI & IX are restoring capacity to the UAE but from a more varied set of points including several new monopoly routes. The seasonal focus given the wedding season are markets in the north, west and central which are also new migration routes.

All city pairs are on sale barring Amritsar Abu Dhabi & Mangalore Ras Al Khaimah - both of which are showing on Google flights but not yet available for purchase. Of course there is still 45+ days to the start of the new schedule and hence changes should be expected

In all AI group will offer 325 weekly departures from the UAE to a staggering 22 Indian airports of which Delhi gets the most flights and seats.
Interestingly of the 49 airport pairs on offer, 21 are monopoly routes with IX focusing on new albeit thin city pairs with no competition not just from Indian carriers but also Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia etc
@networkthoughts

[K @BOMLHR]

Air India group domestic capacity additions at BOM for winter 26
Like in Delhi, Air India has added capacity on select Metro - non metro pairs in the winter schedule effective October 25th
✈️BOM IXC goes up to 24x weekly (currently 18 weekly)
✈️BOM JAI 47 weekly
✈️BOM IDR 3 daily (up from 2 daily)
✈️BOM NAG 4 daily (up from 2 daily, IX will fly 1x daily)
✈️BOM GOI upto 8 daily
✈️BOM JSA 1 daily new introduction
Further changes possible
@networkthoughts

[K @BOMLHR]

Air India Express springs a surprise with 4 weekly Kochi Bangkok service in the winter schedule
IX 476 COK 2215 BKK 0355
IX 475 BKK 0455 COK 0740
4 weekly service on Boeing 738
Flights start October 25
@networkthoughts

[K @BOMLHR]

Air India adds capacity on Delhi - mini metro cities in winter schedule
Air india group has started updating its winter domestic schedule with the following additions
✈️Delhi Srinagar 8x daily (last winter was 6x)
✈️Delhi Amritsar 8x daily (including 2 easy connect flights)
✈️Delhi Bhuj 2x daily (new morning departure)
✈️Delhi Raipur 4x daily (up from 3x daily last winter)
✈️Delhi Udaipur 4x daily (up from 3x daily last winter)
✈️Delhi Kochi 8x daily (up from 7x daily)
✈️Delhi Ahmedabad upto 11x daily (including 1x daily Air India Express service)
✈️Delhi Gaya 2x daily (announced previously)
Further changes possible as we are still 45 days away from the start of the schedule
@networkthoughts

[K @BOMLHR]

Air India Express makes Surat Dubai (DXB) service daily from the start of the winter schedule
In addition, they are adding daily Navi Mumbai Surat flights from the same date (possibly to position aircraft)

IX 1534 NMI 0500 STV 0555
IX 1535 STV 2315 NMI 0010

IX 335 STV 0710 DXB 0855
IX 336 DXB 0955 STV 1415

In addition Surat Sharjah is offered 4 weekly
@networkthoughts

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

IndiGo consolidates its Vietnam presence at Hanoi, to launch daily flight from Mumbai to Hanoi.

6E1637 BOM0415 - 1000HAN
6E1638 HAN1905 - 2305BOM

Flight operated by dual class A321neo
Flights start October 26, 2026

Flights to Ho Chi Minh City remain suspended

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Mongolian carrier Hunnu Air is starting flights to Delhi from Ulanbaatar, with once a week service starting September 28, 2026.

MR301 UBN0350 – 0720DEL MR302 DEL0820 – 1620UBN

Flights operated every Monday, operated by E195-E2

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Uzbeki carrier FlyOne has opened reservations for flights to Delhi from Tashkent.

Twice a week flights start November 06, 2026

Flights operate on Mondays and Fridays.

7Q1421 TAS1620 - 1935DEL
7Q1422 DEL2035 - 2250TAS

FlyOne will be the third carrier on the route, possibly fourth if Qanot Sharq starts before November

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Top 5 States/UT in India by air traffic: July 2026
(Change in ranking over previous month)

International
1. Delhi
2. Maharashtra
3. Kerala
4. Karnataka
5. Tamil Nadu

Domestic
1. Delhi
2. Maharashtra
3. Karnataka
4. Telangana
5. Tamil Nadu (+1)

Total (Domestic + International)
1. Delhi
2. Maharashtra
3. Karnataka
4. Telangana
5. Tamil Nadu

#Top5

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Top 5 States/UT in India by air traffic: June 2026

(Change in ranking over previous month)
International
1. Delhi
2. Maharashtra
3. Kerala
4. Karnataka (+1)
5. Tamil Nadu (-1)

Domestic
1. Delhi (+1)
2. Maharashtra (-1)
3. Karnataka
4. Telangana
5. West Bengal (+1)

Total (Domestic + International)
1. Delhi
2. Maharashtra
3. Karnataka
4. Telangana
5. Tamil Nadu

Top5

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Top 10 airports in India by passenger footfalls - July 2026

#Top10

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Top 10 airports in India by passenger footfall - June 2026

Guwahati pushes Navi Mumbai out of top 10 in total traffic

Top10
Airports

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

IndiGo's ATR network is undergoing further changes this winter. Handful of routes tried and tested over the last two seasons see changes. With current schedule available for sale equivalent to 35 planes, there remains space for more changes leading up to start of NW26 schedule.

Based on current schedule, the base and count looks as below

HYD: 7
BLR: 6
MAA: 5
CCU: 3
AMD: 3
JAI: 3
NMI: 3
DXN:3
DEL: 2

[K @BOMLHR]

IndiGo has added Delhi Kishangarh (KQH) and Delhi Bareilly (BEK) to complement Noida service to both these airports. Service started 1st July onwards and continues through winter with ATR 72 operating
DEL KQH 4 weekly complements DXN KQH 3 weekly operation
DEL BEK 3 weekly complements DXN BEK 4 weekly operation
Ahmedabad Kishangarh stays suspended
@networkthoughts

[K @BOMLHR]

IndiGo ATR ops at Navi Mumbai (NMI) in winter 26
IndiGo continues to base 3 atrs in Navi Mumbai (NMI) in the winter schedule starting October 25 but with a slightly different route profile vs summer
✈️Navi Mumbai - Ahmedabad will be served 3 daily with ATR services including a base departure
✈️Navi Mumbai - Rajkot Hirasar served twice daily including a base departure
✈️Navi Mumbai - Kolhapur served twice daily including a base departure
✈️Navi Mumbai - Bhavnagar served twice daily
✈️Navi Mumbai - Diu served once daily
The Diu flight offers a one stop connection to Ahmedabad. Aircraft routed as NMI DIU AMD DIU NMI. In consequence, Surat Diu is no longer on sale.
✈️There is no ATR scheduled between Navi Mumbai and Goa Dabolim. Consequently Dabolim Coimbatore and Dabolim Nasik / IXU are no longer on sale
@networkthoughts

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

Next week, Akasa Air will connect Mumbai with Hanoi

https://t.co/07T61i3GsW

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

A year after launching flight, Air India adds 38% more seats to Manila

https://t.co/Y3w8rSJd5V

[K @BOMLHR]

In the winter schedule, Air India is increasing and premiumising it's seat capacity on Mumbai / Delhi Dubai starting October 25.
All 24 weekly Mumbai (BOM) Dubai (DXB) flights will offer premium economy with 10x weekly 789, 2x weekly retrofit 3 class 788 & 10x weekly 320neo scheduled - all offering premium economy.
From Delhi in contrast, service will be maintained at 4 daily but upguaged with more seats on offer with 1x daily on the 777-300 er, 13x weekly 2 class 788, 6x weekly 320 neo complemented by a Saturdays only op where the 320ceo fills in for the neo and the 3 class 788 for a 2 class 788, thereby ensuring 1x daily premium economy service.
@networkthoughts

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

IndiGo will connect Gaya with Bangkok, twice a week beginning October 26, 2026.

[K @BOMLHR]

The next 2 long haul routes to see Air India's retrofit 3 class 788 aircraft will be
daily Bengaluru to London Heathrow from January 1 & 5 weekly Mumbai to Tokyo Haneda from 1st February. With this, both London Heathrow & Tokyo Haneda will only be served by Air India's new product. As more aircraft return from retrofits, we should this network increasing
@networkthoughts

[K @BOMLHR]

Air India upguages Delhi to Manila and Mumbai to Mauritius from 321LR to 2 class 788 series aircraft in the winter schedule reflecting fairly quick maturity of both routes. Both started as 4/5 weekly, moved to daily service fairly recently and now upguaged.

Delhi Manila will move to 788 from 25th October with slightly tweaked timings (1150 departure from DEL).
Mumbai Mauritius will move to 788 from 1st January
@networkthoughts

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

IndiGo records it's best ever domestic market share in July 2026

Domestic traffic in India in July 2026 - 1.2 crore passengers

Highest Passenger Load Factor - Akasa Air (91.9%)

Highest market share - IndiGo (67.4%)

Highest OTP (at 10 major airports) - IndiGo (91.2%)
Lowest OTP - SpiceJet (34.6%)

Highest OTP amongst 10 major airports - Chennai (96.7%)
Lowest OTP amongst 10 major airports - Guwahati (77.9%)

Passengers impacted by Cancellation - 42507

Passengers impacted by Delays - 117432

[Network Thoughts @networkthoughts]

IndiGo records its best ever domestic market share in its history in June 2026

Domestic traffic in India in June 2026 - 1.34 crore passengers

Highest Passenger Load Factor - Akasa Air (92.2%) Highest market share - IndiGo (66.3%)

Highest OTP (at 10 major airports) - IndiGo (89.4%) Lowest OTP - SpiceJet (33.5%)

Highest OTP amongst 10 major airports - Chennai (95.2%)
Lowest OTP amongst 10 major airports - Ahmedabad (76.7%)

Passengers impacted by Cancellation - 43968 Passengers impacted by Delays - 110273