Exclusive Conversation With Vistara CEO On Merger With Air India, Fleet Expansion And More

We recently got a chance to discuss the Air India-Vistara merger among other things like Fleet expansion, 2023 outlook and more with Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara Airline.

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Vistara, a joint venture of Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, is one of the most premium and a well recognized airline in India. The full service carrier serves both domestic and international markets and recently completed its eight years of operations in India. However, the airline has been in the news after its parent brand, Tata Group announced to merge the airline with Air India, in an attempt to consolidate all its airlines and capture a larger market share not only in India, but internationally. We recently got a chance to discuss the merger among other things like Fleet expansion, 2023 outlook and more with Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara Airline. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

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Completion Of 8 Years In India

Vistara marked its eighth anniversary in January, 2023 and operated a special flight, UK08, that took off from Trivandrum and drew the number ‘8’ in the skies. The TATA SIA Airlines Limited, known by the brand name Vistara, is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA). Vistara commenced its commercial operations on January 9, 2015, and connects destinations across India and abroad.

Air India-Vistara Merger

Within a few days of announcing a mega 840 aircraft deal with Airbus and Boeing, the Tata group has initiated the merger process between Air India and Vistara. The merger will take final shape by March 2024 and Singapore International Airlines would be investing Rs 2,058.5 crore in Air India as part of the transaction. Singapore Airlines will retain a 25.1 per cent stake in the Air India post the merger is completed.

Currently, Tata group holds a 51 per cent stake in Vistara, whereas the remaining 49 per cent stake is with Singapore Airlines. The merger is part of a larger plan by Tata Group to transform its aviation business. Under this, only two airlines will operate - one premium full service carrier and one low cost carrier. While Air India and Vistara will merge into one, AirAsia India and Air India Express will merge into one airline. 

Vistara Fleet And Expansion Plans

The airline has a fleet of 54 aircraft, including 42 Airbus A320, 6 Airbus A321neo, two Boeing 737-800NG and 4 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. As per Vinod Kannan, Vistara is now preparing to have a total of 70 planes in its fleet by the mid of 2024. These will include 7 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for long haul operations. Currrently Vistara connects three countries in Europe, and will expand its reach. 

Out of the total 70 planes, there will also be 10 A321s and 53 A320 neos, among which, 10 planes will have all economy class and the rest will have three classes. Vistara also deploys its Dreamliner on Delhi-Mumbai route while operating an international flight. 

Vistara Initiatives

Vistara airline is known to start many first initiatives in the industry, including providing in-flight Wifi services, on demand TV among other things. Vistara also became the first operator in India to fly a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul route using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fourth GEnx-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners was used for the partnership flight between Charleston International Airport in South Carolina and Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

By using a blend of 30 percent such sustainable aviation fuel with 70 conventional jet fuel, Vistara claimed it was able to reduce approximately 150,000 pounds of CO2 emissions over the fuel's life cycle. Vinod Kannan said that this is an important milestone towards achieving carbon neutrality and will open up more avenues for the industry to increasingly adopt sustainable technologies.