Indian full service airline Vistara said on Thursday it would launch its international flights in August, a year later than anticipated, with singapore as its first destination. The carrier, a joint venture between Tata Sons and singapore Airlines Ltd, will launch one daily flight from delhi and one from mumbai to the city-state, a popular destination for Indian travelers.
The loss-making Vistara airline has said the launch of international flights, which will give it greater scale to grow, is part of its path to profitability and the new services could also ease pressure on international airfares from india, which rose by as much as 32% after the collapse of Jet Airways Ltd in April.
Vistara met the requirement of having more than 20 jets needed for international flights in June 2018. However, it took longer than expected to receive further regulatory approvals, which proved a setback at a time when the domestic market was highly competitive. The Jet collapse, which has also pushed up domestic prices, led Vistara to add 6 Boeing Co 737s to its previously all-Airbus SE A320 fleet to fill a supply gap. Vistara said it would use the 737s on flights to singapore.
