Vistara is a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines.
Vistara Airlines will cease to operate under its brand name on November 11. The airline's operations will be fully integrated with Air India starting from November 12, marking the culmination of a merger process initiated nearly two years ago.
Vistara is a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines. However, with Tata Group also owning Air India, the decision to unify the two airlines aims to streamline operations and offer passengers an enhanced travel experience. As a part of this merger, Singapore Airlines will acquire a 25.1 per cent stake in the newly consolidated Air India.
The transition, approved by Centre, includes the green light for foreign direct investment (FDI) by Singapore Airlines in Air India.
From September 3 passengers will no longer be able to book flights with Vistara for travel beyond November 11. Instead, all flight operations previously handled by Vistara will be transferred to Air India. Passengers looking to book flights for dates post-merger will be redirected to Air India's booking platforms.
"Vistara will continue to take bookings and operate flights as usual until November 11, 2024," the airline said. From the following day, all of Vistara's aircraft, along with its crew, will transition to Air India. The routes operated by these aircraft will also be absorbed into Air India's broader network.
The merger was initially announced in November 2022. Air India's CEO and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, said the focus is on maintaining continuity for passengers and staff. "Cross-functional teams from Air India and Vistara have been working together for many months to make the transition of aircraft, flying crew, ground-based colleagues, and, most importantly, our valued customers, into the new Air India as seamless as possible," Mr Wilson said.
For passengers already booked on Vistara flights after November 12, the transition will be managed automatically. Flight numbers will change to reflect Air India's operations, but schedules, aircraft, and crews will largely remain the same until early 2025. The airlines have also prepared a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to assist passengers during this period of change.