Air India-Vistara Merger Marks Milestone With First Flight From Doha To Mumbai

Air India’s merger with Vistara is finally complete, and the consolidated full-service carrier looks to grow its business and operations further amid an evolving landscape in Indian aviation. Vistara had its last flight on November 11, and the first flight of the unified carrier took place between Doha and Mumbai.

First flight after the merger

On November 11, a milestone was achieved as the Airbus A321neo of former Indian full-service carrier Vistara took off from Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) for Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) as an Air India flight.

The aircraft left at 22:07 and landed in Mumbai at 04:02 early morning. Air India has decided to add ‘2’ to the flight codes of all flights operated by former Vistara aircraft. As such, the flight from Doha to Mumbai flew as AI 2286.

Around 115,000 customers bought Vistara tickets before the merger and are expected to fly on a unified Air India. Vistara stopped booking tickets under its brand for all flights after November 11. All passengers trying to book Vistara are now directed to the Air India website.

Larger operations

Air India anticipated the significance of this merger and was well-prepared to assist passengers in case of any confusion. As of now, Vistara’s routes and schedule will be the same, with the only difference being its flight code.

Air India set up help desks at the curbside before terminal entry at hubs and metro city airports and deployed several employees to answer passenger queries. Customer support staff wearing Air India x Vistara branded t-shirts were available at major domestic and international airports.

The Tata Group has been busy making changes to its aviation portfolio. Before the Air India-Vistara merger, the group successfully merged Air India Express and AIX Connect (former AirAsia India). Four individual airlines have now been consolidated under one group, operating one full-service and one low-cost airline.

Following the merger, Air India now has over 5,600 weekly flights servicing more than 90 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 208 aircraft. Each day, the carrier will now fly more than 120,000 passengers.

When the entire Air India Group is considered, which includes its low-cost arm, Air India Express, then the number of weekly flights increases to over 8,300 across 312 routes and 100 domestic and international destinations. Campbell Wilson, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Air India, commented,

“The merger of Air India and Vistara completes the consolidation and restructuring phase of the Air India Group’s post-privatisation transformation journey, and is thus a significant milestone. Over the past two years, teams across the four airlines have worked closely together and with other stakeholders to ensure that the transition of people, assets, operations and, most importantly, customers, was as seamless as possible.”

Goodbye, Vistara

After starting operations in 2015, Vistara became a much-loved full-service carrier in India. It was formed as a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, although it struggled to achieve profits.

It relied mostly on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft for domestic services and medium-haul international flights, and the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for long-haul routes in Europe. Its last flight under the Vistara brand was on November 11.