Vistara -- a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines -- merged with Tata Group-owned Air India, creating an enlarged entity that is now the country's largest international carrier and second-largest domestic carrier. Air India chief Campbell Wilson said the AI-Vistara merger has completed restructuring phase of Air India Group's post-privatisation transformation journey.
Integrated Air India-Vistara entity's first flight takes off from Doha
The first flight of the integrated Air India-Vistara entity took off for Mumbai from Doha on Monday night. The flight operating with the code 'AI2286' departed Doha at around 10. 07 pm local time and landed in Mumbai early on Tuesday morning. It is also the first international flight of the merged entity.
What is the final status after the mega merger?
After the merger - which has drastically changed India's aviation landscape in terms of business - Tata Group-owned Air India became the country's largest international carrier and second-largest domestic carrier. Together, Air India Group has 300 aircraft and is serving 103 destinations -- 55 domestic and 48 international ones.
8,500 weekly flights of Air India Group
With a fleet of 300 planes, Air India Group is currently serving 312 domestic and international routes with around 8,500 weekly flights, according to airline sources.
For now, Tata Group-owned Air India, which has merged full service carrier Vistara with itself, has a total of 67 wide body aircraft, including seven of Vistara.
The entity has 210 planes serving 91 destinations and 174 routes with weekly flights of around 5,600, the sources said.
Tata Group also owns Air India Express, which completed the merger of AIX Connect with itself on October 1.
Vistara has 63 narrow body and seven wide body aircraft
Air India has a fleet of 80 narrow body and 60 wide body planes while Vistara has 63 narrow body and seven wide body aircraft. Air India Express has 90 narrow body planes.
Currently, the group is operating 312 routes, comprising 160 domestic and 152 overseas ones, the sources said. The total number of flights per week is around 8,500. The group's fleet has Boeing 777-300 ERs, 777-200 LRs, 787-8s, 787-9s, A320 family planes and A350s.
Change in market share after the merger
Air India, Vistara and AIX Connect together had a domestic market share of a little over 29 per cent in September, as per latest official data. The group is expanding its operations and more planes will be inducted in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Air India pilots are making in-flight announcements on Tuesday saying that today marks a very special milestone with the merger of Vistara and emphasised that the "signature Vistara in-flight experience continues on the Vistara fleet".
Vistara fleet is identifiable by the code 'AI2'. "With over 5,500 international and domestic flights weekly, an all-new Maharaja Club loyalty programme and a growing and transforming fleet, we are excited to offer you more destinations and an elevated travel experience," as per the announcement.
(With PTI inputs)
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