Air India Express (IX, Delhi International) is investigating options to collaborate with flydubai (FZ, Dubai International), reports The Economic Times of India, citing an anonymous official. Options being considered include interline and codeshare arrangements.

The Air India (AI, Delhi International) LCC subsidiary has focused its operations on India-Gulf flights, aimed primarily at Indian migrant workers. Its weekly seat capacity on India – Dubai International flights is 14,880, which it serves from Mangalore Bajpe, Kozhikode, Amritsar, Delhi International, Lucknow, Mumbai International, Tiruchirapally, Kochi International, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, and Pune. For its part, flydubai has a weekly seat capacity of 5,295 on flights from Dubai to Delhi, Hyderabad International, Mumbai, Kochi Intl, Lucknow, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Ahmedabad.

Looking at the Indian aviation market overall, Dubai is the biggest non-domestic destination from both Mumbai and Delhi by seat capacity, and Indians make up 27% of the UAE population. The total weekly seat capacity from India to United Arab Emirates is 225,000 according to the ch-aviation capacity module.

India currently has four different Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) with each of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras-Al-Khaimah, but is planning to unite these under one BASA for the whole of the United Arab Emirates. Simplifying the air service agreements between the two countries could open opportunities for both Indian and Emirati carriers.