News

Vistara launch delayed by 'couple of months'

12 Sep 2014 by GrahamSmith

The highly-anticipated launch of new airline Vistara, the joint venture between Indian conglomerate Tata and Singapore Airlines, looks to be delayed while regulatory approval is sought.

As previously reported, the carrier is headquartered in Delhi and was set to start operating in October (see news, August 12).

However, Vistara has yet to complete various formalities before India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grants it a flying licence or a Scheduled Operator's Permit, reports the Economic Times.

Basic formalities include painting the Vistara livery on the carrier’s soon-to-be delivered A320-200, as well as operating a number of flights to prove airworthiness.

In addition, the airline must also compile a detailed range of flight, operations and engineering manuals, before getting the rubber stamp from the DGCA. This could take months, thereby delaying the launch.

There are plans to increase Vistara's fleet to 20 aircraft, including A320neos, within five years.

The new airline's first destinations are likely to be domestic, with Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar, Patna and Chandigarh touted as Vistara's target locations during its first year of operation. All flights will originate from Delhi.

"Vistara" is derived from the Sanskrit word "vistaar", which translates to "limitless expanse". The logo is inspired by a "yantra", a mathematical form representing the unbounded universe.

tata.com, singaporeair.com

Clement Huang

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