Vistara, the full service joint venture airline between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines, which had carved a name for itself in service quality in barely a decade, will cease to exist by November 12. This follows the regulatory approvals coming in for its planned merger with Air India.
“As we progress further in our growth journey, we want to emphasise that this merger is about offering them more choice with a larger fleet and a wider network, while elevating the overall travel experience. Vistara and Air India are committed to ensuring that this transition is smooth and hassle-free,” said Vinod Kannan, CEO of Vistara.
In a statement released on Friday morning, Air India and Vistara put to rest all speculations about the fate of the merger, saying that passengers will be able to make bookings for Vistara till November 11, following which, they will be redirected to Air India’s booking and other service points.
All Vistara aircraft thereafter, will be operated by Air India and bookings for the routes operated by these aircraft will be redirected to Air India’s website.
The Tatas had started Vistara after growing tired of waiting for Air India’s privatisation. They launched the airline in 2014, which quickly gained a reputation for service quality.
However, the eventual selling of the national carrier to the Tatas in 2022 left the Tatas with four airline brands in their kitty - Air India, Air India Express, Vistara and the India subsidiary of AirAsia. Rationalisation decisions were then taken to merge AirAsia India into Air India Express, and to merge Vistara into Air India, the latter decision causing more than a bit of heartburn amongst frequent travellers and aviation analysts.
However, since Campbell Wilson (he used to head the budget wing of SIA called Scoot) took over as the CEO and MD, the pace quickened, with Tatas and the new AI mandarins pushing for a faster merger. This also led to a churn, with Vistara pilots famously striking work this summer.
“Cross-functional teams from Air India and Vistara have been working together for many months to make the transition of aircraft, flying crew, ground-based colleagues and, most importantly, our valued customers, into the new Air India as seamless as possible,” said Wilson, “The joint team looks forward to offering our guests an expanded network, additional flight options, an enhanced frequent flyer program and the best of both antecedent airlines and are grateful for the support of our loyal customers through this next phase of building a world class, world scale, global airline with an Indian heart.”
The statement, released by Air India’s media team in Gurugram, also said that updates will be given to frequent fliers of both airlines as well as passengers soon, regarding airmails, lounge access, check-in and ancillary services.
During this transition period, both Vistara and Air India will ensure necessary support, consistent communication, and convenience to all customers, every step of the way, the statement said, adding that both airlines will “ensure necessary support, consistent communication, and convenience to all customers, every step of the way”.
