It appears that the highly anticipated launch of Vistara – the joint venture between India’s Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, may be delayed by a few months due to regulatory approval.
As previously reported by Business Traveller Asia-Pacific (see here), the joint venture airlines was slated to begin operations in October, with Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar, Patna and Chandigarh touted as Vistara’s first destinations in 2014.
However in an article published by The Economic Times, the airline still has to complete various formalities before India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grants it the flying licence or the Scheduled Operator's Permit.
Basic formalities include painting the Vistara livery on the carrier’s soon-to-be delivered Airbus A320 aircraft, as well as operating a number of flights in order to prove airworthiness.
In addition, the carrier must also compile a detailed range of flight, operations and engineering manuals, before getting the rubber stamp from the DGCA. According to the report this could take months, which would delay Vistara’s launch.
For more information, visit tata.com and singaporeair.com
Clement Huang
