Tata's Airline 'Vistara' Likely to Take Off in October

The Tata-Singapore Airlines alliance on Monday unveiled the brand name for its venture in India. The new airline has been christened 'Vistara'. "Vistara is inspired by 'Vistaar', a Sanskrit word that defines the world of limitless expanse," the company tweeted.

'Vistara' is likely to start operations from October this year subject to approvals from the aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), Press Trust of India reported.

"It's a momentous day in the history of Indian aviation. Vistara will redefine the way people travel in India" Prasad Menon, Chairman, TATA Singapore Airlines Ltd said.

The joint venture is 49 per cent-owned by Singapore Airlines and 51 per cent held by Tata Group. It plans to operate 87 flights a week during its first year of operation and nearly double that number during its second year.

"We are in the last lap of the process of securing the Air Operator Permit (AOP of flying licence). There are a
series of approvals which we have to get to the satisfaction of DGCA," said Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara.

'Vistara' initially plans to operate domestic flights, but will eventually expand to international full-service flights.

The airline, which will have an initial combined investment of $100 million or Rs 600 crore ($1=Rs 60) from the Tata group and Singapore Airlines, marks the third foreign direct investment (FDI) in the aviation sector since the government declared last year international airlines could buy as much as 49 per cent of local carriers.

The Tata group has already set up another airline with Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia. The carrier is operational.

(With agency inputs)