Air India Express Group Portal: Quote to Ticket in 5 Steps

Air India Express group booking portal 2026: from initial enquiry to final ticket in 5 steps

By Vihaan Patel (Vihaan Patel covers the intersection of travel and digital payments — Indian OTAs, airline-direct booking flows, UPI vs credit-card surcharges, RBI tokenisation rules and the booking-funnel mechanics that quietly cost (or save) you money.) · Published 2026-06-14T10:00:00+05:30 · 11 min read

Air India Express is an underused option for group bookings on Indian domestic and short-haul international routes — its group portal offers a cleaner, more transparent process than most LCC group desks, and its maximum discount of up to 30% on published fares (when conditions are right) is genuinely competitive. This is the full walkthrough.

TL;DR — the quick answer

Air India Express operates a dedicated group booking portal at groupbooking.airindiaexpress.com where groups of 10 or more passengers can submit fare enquiries, receive quotes, pay deposits, submit passenger names, and get tickets issued — all within the same interface. The quoted group discount can be up to around 30% below the published base fare, though the actual discount varies significantly by route, season, and available inventory at the time of enquiry. The entire quote-to-ticket process typically takes 3–5 business days for straightforward domestic groups, and slightly longer for international routes. Name submission is usually due 5 days before departure for domestic and 7–10 days for international. Seat selection is available but may not be free on all group fares — check at the quote stage. Verify current portal features and policies at groupbooking.airindiaexpress.com before starting.

Why Air India Express for group bookings?

Air India Express occupies an interesting position in the Indian carrier landscape. After the merger of AirAsia India into Air India Express in 2023 and the subsequent full integration into the Air India group post-Vistara merger, AIX now operates a substantially expanded network — covering tier-2 and tier-3 Indian cities alongside Gulf routes, South-East Asian corridors, and domestic mainline sectors that were formerly AirAsia India’s territory.

For group bookings, AIX is worth considering for a few specific reasons:

Gulf routes: Destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat, Riyadh, Dammam, and Doha are core AIX territory. For groups of Indian workers, pilgrims (Umrah groups), or NRI family travel, the Gulf routes are where AIX often has the most flexible group fare structures.
South Indian domestic routes: AIX has significant coverage on routes connecting Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, and Hyderabad — relevant for South Indian corporate groups and pilgrimage clusters.
Transparent portal: Unlike some airline group desks where you’re emailing back and forth in an opaque negotiation, the AIX group portal lets you submit an online enquiry form and track the quote status online. It’s not perfect, but it’s more structured than IndiGo’s email-based process for smaller groups.

Step 1 — Register and submit your group enquiry

Go to groupbooking.airindiaexpress.com. You’ll need to register an account (or log in if you’ve used it before) — basic details: name, email, phone number, and whether you’re a travel agent or a direct corporate/individual group organiser. The portal distinguishes between these because IATA agents get slightly different processing and can access the BSP settlement option.

Once logged in, the group enquiry form asks for:

Route (origin and destination airport codes)
Travel dates (outbound and, if applicable, return)
Number of passengers and class (economy or, on some routes, a slightly higher service class)
Preferred departure time range (morning/afternoon/evening preference)
Any special requirements (excess baggage, wheelchair assistance, unaccompanied minors in the group)

The form also asks for a brief description of the group type — pilgrimage, corporate, leisure tour. This seems like administrative box-ticking but it can affect how the group desk prioritises and categorises your enquiry. Be honest and specific. A “Umrah group, 12 pax, Kochi to Jeddah” enquiry will get faster handling than a vague “group travel” with no context.

Once submitted, you’ll get an email acknowledgment with an enquiry reference number. Use this number for any follow-up communication.

Step 2 — Review the group fare quote

The group desk typically responds to domestic route enquiries within 24–48 hours and international route enquiries within 48–72 hours. The quote will arrive by email and should also appear in the portal under your enquiry reference number.

What the quote will typically show:

Gross group fare per passenger (all-in, including taxes and airport charges)
Applicable group discount from the base published fare — this is the figure often quoted as “up to 30%” but in practice the discount varies. Low-demand routes in off-season periods may yield larger discounts; high-demand routes during peak season may offer closer to 5–10%.
Deposit required to hold the block (usually expressed as a percentage of total group value — often around 25–30%)
Deposit payment deadline (typically 2–3 business days after quote delivery)
Name submission deadline
Final payment deadline (remaining balance)
Baggage allowance included in the group fare

One thing to check carefully: whether the quoted fare is based on a specific number of pax and what happens if your actual count changes. Most group quotes are for a fixed block — if two people drop out, you may be paying for empty seats unless the fare terms allow a reduction to a minimum count. Clarify this before accepting the quote.

Step 3 — Pay the deposit and lock the block

Once you’ve reviewed and accepted the quote, you pay the deposit through the portal. Payment options on the AIX group portal typically include credit/debit card, net banking, and in some cases NEFT/RTGS for larger amounts. For large group deposits (say, above ₹5–6 lakh), bank transfer is often more practical than card — card transactions above certain amounts can trigger bank-side 3D Secure friction or daily transaction limits.

UPI is not always available for large group portal payments — individual UPI transaction limits (typically ₹1 lakh per day on most UPI apps, though NPCI allows up to ₹5 lakh for specific categories) can be a constraint for large group deposits. Confirm payment mode availability on the portal at the time of transaction.

Once the deposit is received and confirmed, the airline blocks the seats against your enquiry. You will get a booking reference (different from the enquiry reference) — keep this safe. At this stage, you do not yet have a PNR — the PNR is generated only after names are submitted and final payment is made.

This is also the right moment to request a GST-compliant proforma invoice from the portal for your company’s accounts team. Enter your company GSTIN at this stage if you haven’t already — it is much harder to correct after ticketing. For more on why this matters, see our article on claiming ITC on group flight invoices.

Step 4 — Submit passenger names and documents

Name submission for Air India Express groups is typically due 5 calendar days before departure for domestic routes and 7–10 calendar days before for international routes. The portal has a passenger detail upload section where you enter (or import via a template) each passenger’s:

Full name exactly as on government ID (Aadhaar for domestic, passport for international)
Date of birth
Passport number and expiry (for international) — and where relevant, visa details or visa exemption basis
Contact email or phone (typically for the booking confirmation, not per-passenger communications)

The template-based import (usually a CSV or Excel upload) is the most efficient path for groups above 15 people. If the portal offers a template download, use it — manual entry for 20+ passengers through a web form is painful and error-prone.

Typical errors at this stage that cause last-minute scrambling:

Passport expiry within 6 months of the return travel date for international routes (many destinations, including Gulf countries, require 6 months validity)
Name mismatch between passport and what was typed (middle names included on passport but omitted in the form, or vice versa)
Missing passport copy for a passenger who lost or is renewing their passport — this cannot be resolved in 48 hours. Build 10+ days of buffer for international groups.

Step 5 — Final payment and ticket issuance

After names are verified and accepted by the group desk, the final balance payment is due. On receipt, the airline issues individual PNR confirmation numbers for each passenger. These will arrive in the portal and by email.

Distribute PNR numbers to participants along with:

Web check-in opening time (AIX web check-in opens 48 hours before departure)
Bag allowance reminder (especially for international groups where there may be pre-purchased excess baggage)
Airport reporting time (typically 90 minutes before for domestic, 2.5–3 hours for international on AIX)

On seat selection: the AIX group portal may or may not include complimentary seat selection in the group fare — this varies by route and fare class. If seat selection matters (keeping the group together in a section, or window/aisle preferences for elderly passengers), clarify at Step 2 (quote review) whether it is included or what the additional charge is per seat. Retrofitting seat selection after ticketing is possible on the passenger side via the Manage Booking page using individual PNRs, but charges apply at retail rates, not group rates.

For comparing what retail fares are running on your group’s route during the booking process (useful as a negotiation reference), use FlightGPT’s AI flight search. Travel agents managing AIX group bookings on behalf of corporate clients can also use the FlightGPT Partner portal to track inventory across carriers. Also relevant: our article on IndiGo vs Air India group fare comparison if you’re evaluating AIX against other carriers for a South India group route.

Common reasons group bookings go wrong on the AIX portal — and how to avoid them

A few patterns from actual group booking experiences on the AIX portal:

Enquiry submitted too late: The portal will generate a quote, but the group desk may come back saying the specific departure you wanted is full or no longer has a block available. For popular routes and peak dates, submit the group enquiry at least 8–12 weeks out.
Quote expiry before deposit is paid: Group fare quotes have a validity period — often 2–3 business days. If you miss the deposit deadline while waiting for internal approvals (a very corporate problem), the quoted fare expires and you may need to resubmit — often at a higher rate if the route has filled in the meantime. Pre-clear the budget internally before submitting the enquiry, not after receiving the quote.
Route change after deposit: Some groups lock in group fares and then the tour itinerary changes, requiring a different routing or date. Mid-booking routing changes on group fares are usually treated as a cancellation plus a new booking — with the associated cancellation charges and loss of the original quoted discount. Build route and date certainty before going to deposit stage.
Assuming the group fare includes all fees: Fuel surcharges, passenger service fees, user development fees at destination airports — these are typically included in the all-in fare quote from AIX. But some group quotes show the base fare discount and list taxes separately. Confirm what is included in the per-passenger amount before briefing your group on the cost.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum group size for Air India Express group bookings?

Air India Express requires a minimum of 10 passengers to qualify for group fare pricing on the dedicated group booking portal. For groups smaller than 10, you are better off booking individual tickets on the retail site or OTAs — the group portal process is designed for 10-pax-plus bookings.

What is the maximum discount available on Air India Express group fares?

The portal has historically advertised discounts of up to around 30% from the published base fare. In practice, the actual discount depends on route, date, load factor, and how far in advance you book. Off-peak routes and advance bookings tend to attract better discounts than last-minute bookings on high-demand sectors. Verify the current discount levels in the quote you receive — the portal is the authoritative source.

How long does it take to get a group fare quote from Air India Express?

For domestic routes, the group desk typically responds within 24–48 hours of enquiry submission. For international routes (Gulf, South-East Asia), expect 48–72 hours. If you have not received a response after 72 hours, follow up using the enquiry reference number — the portal has a communication thread you can use, or email the group desk directly.

Can I change passenger names after submitting them to the Air India Express group portal?

Name changes after submission but before the name-submission deadline are usually possible with a per-change administrative fee. After ticketing, name changes are treated as a cancellation and re-issue, which can be costly. Minimise post-submission name changes by building a 10-day buffer between your internal collection deadline and the airline’s name submission deadline.

What happens if some passengers drop out after I’ve paid the deposit?

Most AIX group fare contracts specify a minimum passenger count tied to the group fare discount. If pax count drops below the minimum (or significantly below the booked count), the group desk may revise the per-passenger fare upward (since the group discount was premised on filling a certain block). The deposit for cancelled passengers may be partially or fully forfeited. Clarify the dropout policy explicitly when reviewing the quote in Step 2.

Does the Air India Express group portal support GSTIN invoice generation?

Yes, the portal supports entering your company or agency GSTIN during the booking process, which generates a GST-compliant tax invoice. Enter the GSTIN at the enquiry or deposit stage — do not wait until after ticketing. If you miss it, contact the group desk with your enquiry reference to request a revised invoice, though this process can take additional time and not all corrections can be made after ticketing.