A self-consistent kinetic model is developed to study air (N2–20%O2) plasma discharges in single pulses, their afterglows, and in repetitively pulsed discharges produced at low-pressures (133, 210 and 400 Pa) in a 1 cm inner radius tube. Since the pulse duration ranges from ∼0.3 up to ∼10 ms, the model includes the interplay of the vibrational kinetics of N2 and chemical kinetics involving neutral, excited and charged species, which are coupled to the electron Boltzmann equation during the active plasma phase. A satisfactory agreement is found between modelling simulations and different experimental results. A comprehensive and detailed analysis of the modelling calculations is carried out, providing a general overview and insight of the most important mechanisms that take place in air plasmas at low-pressures.