Air India Just Made It Easier to Earn Maharaja Club Status
Air India lowered the flight count thresholds for Maharaja Club tiers. Platinum now needs 60 flights instead of 90. Gold dropped from 60 to 45. Past 365 days of flights will be reassessed automatically.
Air India is lowering the flight count thresholds for Maharaja Club tier qualification, effective after April 15, 2026. The Tier Points path stays the same, but the flight count path just got significantly easier.
What Changed
| Tier | Old Flights | New Flights | Min Air India Flights | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 30 | 20 | 4 | 33% fewer |
| Gold | 60 | 45 | 8 | 25% fewer |
| Platinum | 90 | 60 | 12 | 33% fewer |
Tier Points thresholds remain unchanged (Silver 15,000 / Gold 30,000 / Platinum 45,000). You only need to hit one path (flights OR Tier Points) to qualify.
Who Benefits
The flight count path is the route for people who fly frequently on economy tickets, especially domestic. A Delhi to Mumbai round trip might only earn 1,000-2,000 Tier Points, but it counts as 2 flights.
Platinum at 60 flights (down from 90) is roughly one flight per week. Gold at 45 is about 3-4 domestic round trips a month. Silver at 20 is very reachable: one domestic return trip per month gets you there.
For a full breakdown of what each tier gives you, we have a Maharaja Club tier guide. The key unlock is Gold, which maps to Star Alliance Gold: lounge access at 1,000+ airports, priority boarding, extra baggage, and priority check-in on any Star Alliance airline.
Retroactive Reassessment
Air India says flights taken over the past 365 days will be reassessed under the new criteria, and eligible members will be upgraded by April end.
So if you've been sitting at 50 flights (short of the old Gold threshold of 60), you'll automatically be bumped to Gold under the new 45-flight requirement. No action needed. Check your account after April end.
If You Had Status Through a Vistara Card
When Air India and Vistara merged, some card holders got automatic Maharaja Club status. The Axis Vistara Infinite card came with Gold, and the SBI Vistara Premium Economy card came with Silver.
Those Vistara cards are no longer active. If your status was tied to the card and you haven't been flying enough to re-qualify, you've likely been downgraded already.
The lower flight thresholds help here. If you dropped from Gold to Silver, you now need 45 flights (down from 60) or 30,000 Tier Points to get back. Air India has announced a co-branded credit card for 2026, which will likely come with complimentary status. But until that launches, the flight count path is your best route back.
Other April 2026 Enhancements
This is one of several changes Air India rolled out:
- Lower award redemption rates across domestic and international routes
- Simplified cancellation rules with tier-based free windows
- Points credited within 2 hours of flight completion
- Gold and Platinum can extend priority services to one co-passenger on the same PNR
Building Your Points Balance
Tier qualification comes from flying. But your redeemable Maharaja Points can also come from Mag Miles on the Magnify app (1:1 ratio) or credit card transfers. Check your options at magnify.club/app.
