Vistara offers voluntary retirement of ground staff before Air India merger

The VRS scheme is for permanent ground staff and excludes pilots, cabin crew, licensed role holders, and employees retiring by 31st March 2025

Vistara on Monday (July 29) announced the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for permanent ground staff with over five years of continuous service. This scheme, available until 23rd August 2024, excludes pilots, cabin crew, licensed role holders, and employees retiring by 31st March 2025.

The scheme offers an ex-gratia amount based on either the Gujarat Pattern or the Department of Heavy Industries Pattern, whichever is higher, the company said.

Business Standard could not independently verify the report.

Employees who opt for the VRS will receive statutory benefits such as gratuity under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, provident fund, and leave encashment per policy, the company said. 

 

Additionally, non-statutory benefits will include medical insurance coverage until 31st March 2025 for employees and their nominees, as well as staff travel entitlements for FY25. After 31st March 2025, retired employees can continue to enjoy staff travel benefits if eligible under the staff travel policy.

Air India also to offer VRS ahead of merger with Vistara

As part of its merger with Vistara, Air India announced a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for permanent ground staff earlier this month. Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, will merge with Air India by the end of the year. An Air India executive mentioned that the merged entity will require fewer ground staff, initiating an ‘optimisation’ process. 

Air India’s VRS is available for employees with at least five years of service, while a Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) is offered to those with less than five years of service. The application window for these schemes is open until 16th August 2024, with management deciding the acceptance of applications and release dates.

Vistara announces free WiFi

Additionally, Vistara recently announced that it will offer 20 minutes of free WiFi on international flights, becoming the first Indian airline to provide this benefit. All cabins will have access to complimentary WiFi for 20 minutes, with extended plans available for purchase using Indian credit and debit cards via OTP. 

Business Class and Platinum Club Vistara members will receive 50 MB of free wifi. Meanwhile, non-members will be charged Rs 372.74 plus GST for unlimited messaging on apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. For internet surfing, the service costs Rs 1,577.54 plus GST, including audio and video streaming, while unlimited data for all streaming protocols is priced at Rs 2,707.04 plus GST.