First Flight Of Merged Air India-Vistara Takes Off From Doha (image-instagram/airindia)
After nine long years of service, Vistara Airlines ended its service on November 11. Following the airline’s merger with Air India, the first integrated service flight took off for Mumbai from Doha on Monday night.
The airline operating by the code ‘AI2286’ departed from Doha at around 10:07 pm local time and is expected to land in Mumbai early on Tuesday morning.
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The Mumbai-Doha flight would be the first international flight of the merged entity.
The integration of Vistara with Air India, both part of Tata Group, makes a major consolidation in the country’s civil aviation.
Meanwhile, Vistara’s last domestic voyage was a Mumbai-Delhi flight. UK986, an Airbus A321, flew from Mumbai airport at 10.50 pm on November 11, 2024. The airline’s last foreign journey was the New Delhi-Singapore flight. UK 115, an Airbus A321 Neo, departed from Delhi at 11.45 pm on Monday.
“Thank you to our 75 million passengers for your support, patronage and touching testimonials. Humbled and honoured to have been part of this team. Onwards and upwards towards our new chapter. The new feeling has a new home,” said Vinod Kannan, CEO at Vistara – TATA SIA Airlines in a LinkedIn post.
Vistara was launched in January 2015. Tata Sons owns a 51% stake with SIA holding the remaining 49%. Vistara’s inaugural flight took off on January 9, 2015, from Delhi to Mumbai. After establishing a strong presence on key metro routes, Vistara expanded to tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Vistara launched its first international flight from Delhi to Singapore in August 2019. Its premium economy, a rare feature on Indian flights became popular with cooperate travellers. The airline was also known for its premium services, curated meals, personalized entertainment, and spacious eating services.
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The merger between Vistara Airlines and Air India, first announced in November 2022, will see Singapore Airlines holding a 25.1% stake in the newly combined airlines once the deal is finalized.
