Page 7 - Vistara

CCI seeking info on AI-Vistara merger is normal, part of process: Wilson

Air India chief Campbell Wilson on Friday welcomed the Competition Commission seeking more information on the airline's proposed merger with Vistara and said it is a "normal and important part of the evaluation process". The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has asked for more details with respect to the proposed merger, which was announced in November last year, and approval from the regulator was sought in April this year. Under the competition law, the regulator has the power to carry out a detailed probe before approving a merger or acquisition in case there are concerns about possible anti-competitive practices in the deal. "You may have recently read that the Competition Commission of India has asked for more information regarding our proposal to merge with Vistara. We welcome this request, which is a normal and important part of the evaluation process," Wilson told employees in his weekly message on Friday. While that runs its proper course, the Chief Executive Officer a

Vistara flight to Kolkata suffers technical snag; returns to Delhi

A Vistara aircraft en route to Kolkata suffered a technical snag and returned to the national capital on Friday evening, according to the airline. A source in the know said the plane operating flight UK 707 had an engine failure and that there were around 160 passengers onboard. "Shortly after take-off, a technical snag was detected on Vistara flight UK 707 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 7 July 2023. As a precautionary step in accordance with the SOPs, the pilots decided to turn back and landed the flight safely at IGI airport, Delhi," a Vistara spokesperson said in a statement. However, the source said the aircraft had an engine failure and made an emergency landing at Delhi airport. The spokesperson said the aircraft is undergoing necessary checks. "An alternative aircraft was immediately arranged which will depart soon after all the customers are on-boarded. The concerned team is making all efforts to minimise inconvenience to the customers by making necessary arrangements,

CCI's queries on Vistara merger 'normal': Air India CEO Campbell Wilson

In February, Air India had placed the world's second largest single-tranche order for 470 planes - 250 with Airbus and 220 with Boeing

Competition Comm issues show cause notice on Air India-Vistara merger deal

Competition Commission of India (CCI) has issued a show cause notice to the parties with respect to the proposed merger of Tata Group airlines Vistara and Air India, according to a source. The fair trade watchdog issues notice asking why an investigation should not be initiated only after forming a prima-facie opinion that the deal could adversely impact competition in the marketplace. Vistara and Air India are the two full-service carriers that are part of the Tata Group, and Singapore Airlines holds a 49 per cent stake in Vistara. In November last year, Tata Group announced the merger of Vistara with Air India under a deal wherein Singapore Airlines will also acquire a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. The deal would mark a major consolidation in India's fast-growing aviation space. The source on Tuesday said CCI has issued a show cause notice on the deal. Air India did not comment. The approval for the proposed combination was sought from CCI in April this year. The parties to

DGCA permits Vistara, IndiGo to operate on new int'l routes from August

Vistara is in the process of merging with Air India, which is now owned by Tata Group

Singapore Airlines denies media report on raising stake in Air India

Singapore Airlines said it has not raised its stake in Air India from the 25.1% which it secured as part of the Tata Group's Vistara merger to create a bigger full-service India's national carrier

Vistara expands codeshare partnership with European airline Lufthansa

Tata Group and Singapore Airlines-operated full-service carrier Vistara on Thursday said it has expanded its codeshare partnership with European airline Lufthansa. The pact will allow enhanced connectivity to Vistara customers while travelling across Europe, the airline said in a statement. Vistara and Lufthansa entered into a unilateral codeshare agreement in 2019, enabling Lufthansa to add its designator code (LH) to Vistara flights to 18 destinations in India. Codesharing allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provides seamless travel to destinations where it has no presence. With this expanded codeshare pact, 12 key European destinations -- Amsterdam, Stockholm, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Rome, Hamburg, Helsinki, Lisbon, Munich, Oslo, and Prague -- will get included in Vistara's network, the statement said. "This enables our customers to conveniently book their itineraries and seamlessly travel across various parts of Europe on the joint networ

Vistara faces shortage of cabin crew uniforms amid supply chain headwinds

Full service carrier Vistara is facing a shortage of cabin crew uniforms and some of its cabin crew members will soon be wearing black-coloured uniforms as a temporary solution. Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has said it is actively working with suppliers to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The airline, which is to be merged with Air India, is expanding its fleet as well as staff strength. Against this backdrop, the carrier on Friday said due to an unforeseen issue with supply of material, it is experiencing limited availability of cabin crew uniforms. "In the coming days, some of our cabin crew may be seen performing their duties in black-coloured trousers and polo T-shirts with the Vistara logo instead of our standard aubergine uniform," it said in a tweet. Vistara expects to add a total of 10 planes as well as hire more than 1,000 people in the current financial year.

Vistara to add 10 planes, 1,000 people this FY; shelves plan to fly to US

Full service carrier Vistara expects to add a total of 10 planes as well as hire more than 1,000 people in the current financial year and has shelved plans to fly to the US, according to a top executive. Currently, Vistara, which is set to be merged with Air India, has a fleet of 61 aircraft and a staff strength of over 5,200. During an interaction here this week, Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said there has been a ready pool of talent, especially pilots and cabin crew members, with the collapse of Go First. "Just like Air India and IndiGo, we also recruited them. We wanted to make sure that we took the right number, right people. We went through the usual process that every airline will do. Then, there is the entire job market for the cabin crew where freshers are coming in. We still attract good talent," he told PTI. Around 50 pilots from Go First have been recruited by the airline. Elaborating on Vistara's hiring plans, Kannan said the airline would add a total of 10 aircraft and wo

Vistara to start flight service on Agartala-Bengaluru route on Aug 1

Vistara will introduce a flight service between Agartala and Bengaluru on August 1, an official said on Wednesday. At present, Indigo and Akasa operate three flights on the Agartala-Bengaluru route, he said. "Vistara is scheduled to operate a flight on the Agartala-Bengaluru route from August 1. The flight will arrive here directly from Bengaluru, and on its return journey from Agartala, it will go via Guwahati. It will benefit flyers immensely," director of Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport KC Meena told PTI. Chief Minister Manik Saha had urged Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for the introduction of more flights on the route. Meena said SpieceJet is ready to kickstart services between Agartala and Chittagong in Bangladesh but the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to notify the immigration centre. "We are hoping to get all the relevant protocols cleared from the Centre by mid-June. Once the process is complete, international flight service will start at the earliest," h

Vistara-AI merger to boost Singapore Airlines' presence in Indian market

Singapore Airlines Group on Tuesday reported its highest ever net profit and outlined various strategic initiatives, including the proposed merger of Vistara with Air India to boost the Singaporean carrier's presence in the Indian market. Vistara is a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Group, which holds 51 per cent stake. The process to merge Vistara with Air India is underway. On Tuesday, Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group posted a record net profit of 2,157 million Singapore Dollars for FY2022-23. In the year-ago period, it had a net loss of SGD 962 million. "This was mainly driven by better operating performance (+SGD 3,302 million) and lower net finance charges (+SGD 338 million), and partially offset by a tax expense versus a tax credit last year (around SGD 615 million)," the airline group said in a release. Despite the Covid pandemic, the group said it remained committed to its longstanding strategy of buying and operating new generation aircraft. Among other ...

With Go First gone, rivals Air India, IndiGo, others ramp up flights

The government of India has also allotted cash-strapped Go First slots after representations that airports will lose money if they are not utilised

Vistara operates Boeing 787 aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel

Full service carrier Vistara on Thursday said it operated a Boeing 787 aircraft on the Delhi-Mumbai route, using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This is the first time that an Indian carrier has operated a commercial domestic flight on a wide-body aircraft, using a blend of 17 per cent SAF with 83 per cent conventional jet fuel, the airline said in a statement. The Delhi-Mumbai flight using blended with SAF helped the airline reduce approximately 10,000 pounds of CO2 emissions, it said. "This pioneering initiative is part of Vistara's ongoing efforts to minimize carbon footprint and support a sustainable future for the aviation industry," the airline said. Last month, the joint venture of Tata Group-Singapore Airlines -- Vistara -- had operated a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul international route using sustainable aviation fuel, which was also the first time for an Indian airline. A blend of 30 per cent SAF and 70 per cent conventional jet fuel was used on a ferry flight betwe

Tata group-owned Air India enters into an interline pact with Vistara

Tata group owned Air India on Wednesday announced entering into an interline pact with Vistara. An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airlines own flight numbers are used. The partnership allows Air India's passengers to travel seamlessly on Vistara's route network to and from over 80 points across Air India's extensive domestic and global network, the airline said in a statement. Air India has over 100 similar agreements and close to 50 through check-in agreements with partner airlines globally, such as Lufthansa, United Airlines, Air Canada, and Singapore Airlines, among others. The scope of the agreement between Air India and Vistara includes Inter Airline Through Check-in (IATCI) implementation, which enables passengers to receive their boarding passes at the first point of departure for all the travel sectors on a single ticket, and have their .

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Tatas, Singapore Airlines seek CCI nod for Vistara-Air India merger

Deal will not change competitive landscape, say parties

Air India ground staff pay hike after Vistara merger: CEO Campbell Wilson

However, pilots and cabin crew will not be affected by merger, their salaries and benefits will be revised in next few days, says CEO Campbell Wilson

Vistara to start direct flights between Mumbai and London from June 1

Full-service carrier Vistara, a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, on Friday said it will launch direct flight services between Mumbai and London Heathrow, starting June 1. The services on the new route will be operated five times a week with a Dreamliner Boeing 787-9 aircraft in three-class configuration -- business, premium economy and economy, Vistara said in a statement. The airline, which is in the process of merging with Tata Group-owned Air India, said it plans to expand further into the European market with a gradual increase in its widebody fleet going forward. "Mumbai-London will be our fourth route to Europe after connecting Frankfurt, Paris and London with Delhi. This additional gateway also offers our customers more options and flexibility with their travel itineraries," said Vinod Kannan, CEO at Vistara. "We look forward to further expanding our presence in Europe, especially with more wide-body aircraft joining our fleet in the coming months," he ...

Vistara operates Boeing Dreamliner plane powered by SAF-blended fuel

Vistara on Thursday said it has operated a Dreamliner plane using fuel blended with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from the US to the national capital, becoming the first Indian carrier to fly on a long route using SAF. The airline also said that by using a blend of 30 per cent SAF with 70 per cent conventional jet fuel, Vistara was able to reduce around 1,50,000 pounds of CO2 emissions over the fuel's life cycle. "The ground-breaking ferry flight from Charleston International Airport, South Carolina to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi was operated in partnership with The Boeing Company and GE Aerospace, on Vistara's newest GEnx-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, the fourth in its fleet," according to a release. Vistara has also become the first domestic carrier to operate a flight powered by fuel blended with SAF on a long-haul route. "We take immense pride in carrying out another pioneering initiative to operate a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul route using SA

Vistara starts Mumbai-Dammam flight; second Saudi destination after Jeddah

Full-service carrier Vistara inaugurated its daily non-stop service between Mumbai and Dammam in Saudi Arabia on March 1, expanding its international services further in the Gulf region. Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, will deploy A320 neo aircraft for this route. Describing Dammam as a major administrative hub in Saudi Arabia and home to a large Indian diaspora, Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said that the addition of Dammam to the airline's growing international network is in line with its goal to further strengthen its presence in the Middle East. Dammam will be the fifth Vistara destination in the region after Dubai, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Muscat, Kannan said. We are certain that Vistara, with its award-winning product and services, will be a preferred carrier on the Mumbai-Dammam route, he said. "We are excited to expand our presence in Saudi Arabia with the addition of Dammam as the second city in the Kingdom, after ..