Full-service airline Vistara, a joint venture by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, will have its last flights today as it merges with Air India Group.
This will reduce the number of full-service airlines in India to just one. As reported by Business Today, Vistara will also see Singapore Airlines retaining a 25.1% stake in the merged airline.
In the month following the merger, over 115,000 Vistara passengers will travel under Air India’s name.
Despite this, the airline has confirmed that the Vistara service experience will remain the same. Flights will now use Air India’s flight codes starting with ‘2’, like AI 2955 for the current UK 955.
Vistara has assured that its product and service offerings will stay the same. Help desk kiosks will be available at airports to assist with the transition. International airports will have signs directing passengers to the right check-in counters, and Vistara’s customer service calls will be redirected to Air India’s team.
Vistara’s frequent flyer members will also be transferred to Air India’s loyalty programme.
In 2012, the UPA government, led by Manmohan Singh, allowed foreign airlines to acquire up to 49% of a domestic carrier.
This led to Jet Airways securing a 24% stake from Gulf carrier Etihad and the launch of AirAsia India and Vistara. Vistara was India’s only full-service airline that started operations in the last decade.
Over the years, several airlines, including Kingfisher and Air Sahara (which later rebranded as JetLite), ceased operations. After 25 years of service, Jet Airways was grounded in April 2019 due to financial troubles and is now in the process of liquidation.
Vistara, which began flying in January 2015, was jointly owned by Singapore Airlines (49%) and Tata Group (51%). /TISG
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