Air India and Air Asia to welcome each other's passengers

In their latest agreement amongst the two airlines, the Tata Group Air India and Air Asia have announced to accept each other's passengers in case of flight disruptions. 

Both Air India and Air Asia India (AAIPL) have signed an "interline considerations on irregular operations" (IROPs) agreement to offer passengers the first available alternate flights with an aim to minimize inconvenience to the travellers. 

This arrangement is only valid in the domestic sector for two years, beginning February 10 and ending February 9, 2O24. Air India's ground handling department sent a letter to its regional divisions across the country on Friday.

The IROPs agreement read, passengers will be transferred on an 'as available' basis, as determined by the airport manager of the accepting airline. The airport manager's decision to accept an airline would be final in terms of seat availability. The agreement read that the departure of Air India should not be affected on account of the acceptance of stranded passengers of Air Asia India. 

Tata Air India has been working hard to improve their on-time performance and resolve passenger complaints. After acquiring Air India and Air India Express on January 26, the Tata Group now operates four airlines, including Vistara and AAIPL.

The IROPS agreement says the transferring airline's baggage allowance, as shown on the transferring airline's original ticket, will apply to passengers accepted by the accepting airline. Any excess baggage that was not purchased with the original booking will be charged at the accepting airline's excess baggage policy.

Airlines typically enter into such interline agreements with other carriers, particularly on routes with a limited number of flights, to avoid inconvenience to passengers in the event of disruptions. These disruptions could occur due to extenuating circumstances such as flight delays, cancellations, or redirection.

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