In a significant development signaling the conclusion of a chapter in India’s aviation history, Vistara, the full-service airline renowned for its exceptional service, will conduct its last flights today prior to its merger with Air India. This merger, a calculated move by the Tata Group, unites two prominent forces in Indian aviation and reshapes the industry, establishing Air India as the nation’s exclusive full-service carrier.
Vistara is set to execute its last flight under its own branding on Monday, November 11, and starting tomorrow, its operations will be integrated with Air India. Consequently, the number of full-service airlines in the Indian aviation sector will decrease from five to one in just over 17 years.
With this merger, Singapore Airlines will acquire a 25.1% stake in Air India, signaling the conclusion of Vistara, another Indian airline partially owned by a foreign entity following the liberalization of Foreign Direct Investment.
Vistara, the joint venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines, will officially cease operations at midnight today. The journey, which lasted 3,594 days in Indian airspace and extended beyond, did not quite reflect its name, which translates to “Vistaar” or expanse. As social media honors the airline and many passengers take their final flights, we reflect on pivotal moments that influenced not only the airline but also the broader landscape of Indian aviation.
Premium Economy
The airline was a trailblazer in introducing Premium Economy to India. It entered the market with a comprehensive study proposing a configuration of 16 Business class seats, 36 Premium Economy, and only 96 economy class seats. Whether due to the study’s findings or its implementation, it quickly recognized that it was overly focused on premium offerings, adjusting to 8 Business, 24 Premium Economy, and 126 economy class seats, ultimately adding one more row later for a total of 132 economy seats on the A320neo.
The diligent efforts to introduce, differentiate, and popularize Premium Economy will yield benefits for Air India as it embarks on reconfiguring its aircraft and launching its own Premium Economy class. For Air India, which previously boasted industry-leading legroom in Economy class during government ownership, this necessitates a reduction in Economy class space while providing comparable legroom in a higher class.
Retro Jet
For any airline, the most frequently discussed aspect is its livery. Passengers and aviation enthusiasts often have much to say about the design of the aircraft. In Indian aviation, aside from a few promotional jets initiated by Air Deccan, Jet Airways, and SpiceJet, liveries tended to be uniform. Air India’s membership in the Star Alliance resulted in the introduction of a Star Alliance livery aircraft, while AirAsia India honored the late JRD Tata with a special livery. Nevertheless, a genuine retro livery was absent until Vistara unveiled one in September 2018.
787-9
The airline was the first and only carrier to place an order and operate the 787-9 Dreamliner in India. While Air India has been among the early adopters of the Dreamliner, all of its 27 aircraft are of the 787-8 variant. This also marked the first widebody aircraft in India to feature a Premium Economy cabin.
Fleet renewal
For an extended period, two airlines were poised to be the pioneers of an entirely modern fleet. Go Air (subsequently rebranded as Go FIRST) and IndiGo had strategically positioned themselves with orders secured back in 2011 and a comprehensive fleet renewal strategy established. Complications with Pratt & Whitney engines ultimately led to Go FIRST’s downfall, attributing blame to the engines, while IndiGo resorted to incorporating more older generation A320ceo aircraft instead of phasing them out.
With CFM-powered A320neos, Vistara emerged as the first and sole airline to boast a modern fleet in Indian airspace, later joined by Akasa Air, which placed orders for the MAX aircraft.
Profits remained elusive
The airline achieved new heights in customer service, becoming the only private full-service carrier in the nation following the collapse of Jet Airways, and experienced rapid growth even amid the pandemic. High expectations were set for the Tata and SIA partnership, yet nine years later, the airline still had not turned a profit. This illustrates the fiercely competitive nature of the Indian market and suggests that having two major groups is not a panacea for the aviation sector, despite leaders from both organizations holding prominent positions throughout. This situation serves as a reminder to the merged entity as it embarks on fleet renewal and seeks to attract more passengers willing to pay premium fares.
Tail Note
The airline has completed 526,000 flights up until September this year since its launch, transporting 73 million passengers, with over 90% of them flying within domestic routes. The core three-class concept faced challenges as it incorporated former Jet Airways aircraft, a different fleet type (B737s) featuring a dual-class configuration instead of three-class, in addition to integrating mono-class planes.
Vistara now finds itself among renowned names like Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines within the Indian aviation landscape, yet it resembles Indian Airlines, which ceased operations through a merger rather than other factors. It is often remarked that a stronger brand and experience merges with a weaker one, and only time will reveal the true success of this merger. Air India has been communicating that Vistara aircraft will continue to serve their existing routes and will receive new numbering starting with AI2xxx. However, from the very beginning, there have been exceptions to this plan, potentially indicating future developments.
Smooth transition planned for Vistara customers
To assist passengers during this transition, Vistara has established help desks at airports. Travelers can obtain information regarding their flights, check-in procedures, and various services. At international airports, new signage will be installed to direct passengers to the appropriate check-in zones for Air India. Additionally, the Vistara customer contact center will now direct calls to Air India’s representatives to assist travelers with any questions.
For those familiar with Vistara’s flight codes, a significant change will be implemented. Vistara flights will now adopt Air India flight codes, beginning with ‘2.’ For instance, a Vistara flight formerly designated as UK 955 will now operate under the code AI 2955.
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