Air India unbundles meals with new 'Basic' economy fare on select domestic routes

Tata-owned Air India has rolled out a 'Basic' economy fare that strips out complimentary meals while retaining 15kg checked and 7kg cabin baggage. Available only via direct channels during pilot phase, the fare expands the carrier's Value/Classic/Flex portfolio and signals a sharper unbundling play against LCC rivals.

— Source publishedTue, 16 Jun, 2026, 20:09 IST·First seen Tue, 16 Jun, 2026, 20:23 IST·Source NDTV Profit

What happened

Tata-owned Air India launched a new 'Basic' Economy fare on select domestic routes, unbundling complimentary meals while retaining 15kg checked and 7kg cabin

Key facts

  • 15 kg checked baggage
  • 7 kg cabin baggage
  • 24 hours pre-booking

Why this matters

The Basic tier sharpens Air India's competitive overlap with IndiGo on price-sensitive domestic routes, raising the stakes for any partnership, codeshare, or feeder-network discussions in the FSC-LCC interface.