Air India Express (IX, Delhi International) is said to be in talks with sibling airline Vistara (UK, Delhi International) to lease two B737-800s over the Northern Hemisphere 2022/23 winter. According to multiple India-based media reports, Air India Express is looking to acquire one aircraft in November and the second in December. Both airlines are controlled by Tata Sons.

"There are plans to consolidate and bring synergy in operations," an unnamed source told India's Business Standard newspaper. "Therefore, the airline has decided to lease planes from within the group carriers rather than going to external players." ch-aviation has approached Air India Express for further information on the leases.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Air India Express operates a fleet of twenty-four B737-800s. Sixteen are owned outright while six come on lease from GECAS and two come from ICBC Financial Leasing. Vistara has a bigger fleet - 54 planes, mostly Airbus narrowbodies, including two (inactive) A320-200s, forty A320-200Ns, and five A321-200NX. The airline also has five B737-800s in the air and a pair of B787-9s. All five of Vistara's B737s are presently operational.

The source noted these would be the first fleet additions for Air India Express for "a long time." ch-aviation data indicates the last addition to the airline's fleet was in September 2018. Three B737-800s arrived that year and six arrived in 2016.