Vistara goes international

Amid Jet Airways grounding and talks of Air India divestment, the Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture Vistara has gone international with its first flight bound to Singapore, Vistara announced in a statement. On the other hand, the original largest international players from India, Jet Airways and Air India, have been facing rough weather. Naresh Goyal-founded Jet Airways is now grounded following failure to pay dues, while Air India’s mounting debt takes a toll on regular operations. Domestic players IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara have gained ground, benefitting from the void created by Jet Airways and Air India. In fact, post Jet Airways grounding, SpiceJet, IndiGo and others have launched a multitude of international flights; Vistara is following the suit. It has also announced that the airline will expand its international destinations further.

Vistara sees Singapore as a crucial market, “given the opportunities it presents for corporate, business as well as leisure travel,” Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said in a statement. Vistara also said that the airline views Singapore as a key addition to its network, as demand for travel to and from the country soars, complementing the rising trade, business and tourism.

Meanwhile, domestic carriers IndiGo and Air India also offer flights to Singapore from Delhi. In international airlines, the options are plenty — Air China, All Nippon Airways ANA, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, China Eastern, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

For its foray in the international landscape, Vistara will fly its Boeing 737-800NG aircraft and is offering two-class cabin configuration (Business and Economy) to Singapore. The Singapore to and fro flights will be available from Delhi and Mumbai.

Along with the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft post Ethiopian plane crash tragedy and then the grounding of Jet Airways, the Indian aviation sector has gone through tough times in the past few months, However, according to the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, the Jet Airways failure cannot be generalised as the failure of the aviation sector, Hardeep Singh Puri told ET Now in an interview this week. “Jet Airways loss aside, the aviation sector in India has recorded a massive double-digit annual growth rate of over 17%, he told the media house.