On 19 September the colt was dropped back in class for a minor event on good to firm ground at Yarmouth and recorded his first victory as he led from the start and won at odds of 5/4 by one and three quarter lengths from Grand Lad.
[5] The colt was tried over one mile in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot Racecourse ten days later and came home sixth behind the future Epsom Derby winner Benny the Dip.
After looking outpaced approaching the final furlong he stayed on strongly in the closing stages and finished third, beaten a head and a neck by In Command and Musical Pursuit with Bahamian Bounty in fourth and Desert King in sixth.
[6] On 17 April, Air Express began his second season in the Craven Stakes (a major trial race for the 2000 Guineas) at Newmarket in which he started at odds of 8/1 and finished fourth behind Desert Story, Grapeshot and Cape Cross.
In the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on 30 July the colt was matched against older horses for the first time and made little impact, coming home seventh of the nine runners behind the four-year-old Ali-Royal.
The French jockey Olivier Peslier took over from Doyle when Air Express started at odds of 9/1 for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over one mile at Ascot on 27 September.
The racecourse stewards asked Clive Brittain to account for the colt's improved performance but accepted the trainer's explanation that Air Express had been unsuited by the camber at Goodwood.
A drop back in distance brought no improvement as he finished fourth of the five runners behind Donkey Engine in the Prix de la Porte Maillot over 1400 metres at Longchamp Racecourse on 21 June.