Vistara, the Tata Sons–Singapore Airlines joint venture Indian airline will soon begin providing inflight entertainment (IFE) to its customers.
However, unlike fellow full-service carriers Air India and Jet Airways, Vistara has decided not to install seatback monitors into its aircraft, and will instead beam IFE content directly to the personal electronic devices (PED) of passengers.
This product offering puts Vistara more in line with Singapore Airline’s own regional carrier Silk Air, which began doing the same last year (see here). Furthermore, without the extra weight from the heavy seatback monitors, the airline will benefit from reduced fuel burn.
While the exact arrangement has yet to be finalised, it is very likely that Vistara will offer IFE free across all cabin classes, given its position as a full-service carrier. Business class passengers may receive the added benefit of having tablets handed out to them, while those in premium economy and economy class may have to use their own PEDs to watch content.
Speaking to The Times of India, Phee Teik Yeoh, Vistara chief executive said: “We are introducing wireless inflight IFE systems. India does not allow wifi on board aircraft in terms of two-way connectivity. But one-way streaming of entertainment content like movies and music is allowed. This will be wifi one-way connectivity”.
For more information, visit airvistara.com
Clement Huang
