About Alliance Air Flights – Your Guide to Airline History, Fleet, Routes & Policies

Alliance Air was established in 1996 as a fully-owned subsidiary of Indian Airlines, which later combined with Air India. Previously, the airline was created to operate shuttle services, carrying travellers from small towns to main cities, where they could connect to longer domestic or international flights. Over time, Alliance Air became synonymous with regional connectivity and gradually built a reputation for being reliable and passenger-friendly.

After the privatisation of Air India in 2021, Alliance Air became a government-owned airline under AI Asset Holding Ltd (AIAHL), continuing its operations independently. This shift allowed the airline to maintain its role as India’s Premier regional operator while coordinating with the government’s goal of expanding aviation infrastructure in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme. 

One of the reasons Alliance Air is well-suited for regional routes is its choice of aircraft. The airline's first aircraft are ATR 72-600 turboprops, which use less fuel and are perfect for small airports with short runways. ATR planes are ideal for hilly areas like the northeast or isolated areas of the nation because of their reputation for landing in harsh weather conditions and terrain. Even with average passenger loads, flights may still be affordable due to the ATR's minimal seating. Large aircraft like Airbus or Boeing might not be able to serve underserved areas regularly, but this strategic fleet choice enables the airline to do so. 

Some of the Popular routes of Alliance Air with strong connectivity includes:

Northeast India: States like Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya depend strongly on Alliance Air for air connectivity. It operates flights to destinations such as Dibrugarh, Imphal, Shillong, and Agartala.

North India: Alliance Air connects smaller airports in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir. Popular destinations include Kullu, Dharamshala, and Leh.

South India: The airline has flights linking smaller towns in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala with bigger hubs like Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

Central & Western India: Cities like Jabalpur, Bhopal and Bhavnagar are also part of the airline’s route map.  

Alliance Air allows 15 kg of free checked baggage on most domestic routes, while flights to and from Kullu and Dornier-operated routes permit 10kg, and international flights allow 20 kg. Passengers may carry one cabin bag up to 5 kg (40 x 30 x 15 cm) plus small personal items such as a handbag, laptop, or infant food. Prepaid options are available for servings, and the extra baggage fee for international flights is INR 700 kg. Keep Power banks in a handbag, and items such as flammable material, explosives, and liquids in large amounts more than 100 ml are prohibited.

Alliance Air’s cancellation policy is designed to balance transparency with affordability. If a booking is cancelled All fare types are fully refundable to passengers within 24 hours of flight booking as long as the flight is at least 7 days away. A fee of INR 3,500 per person in each sector or the basic fare, whichever is less, is advisable to cancel during 0-3 days prior to departure. Passengers pay INR 2,500 per sector plus any fare difference for changes during this window. However, if the booking is cancelled 4 days or more before departure, no cancellation fees apply for Super Saver, Value, or Flexible fares. In the case of a No-Show, only taxes are refunded, and the base fare is forfeited. If Alliance Air itself cancels a flight due to disruptions, passengers are offered either an alternate flight or a full/partial refund, depending on the situation.