BackVistara commences direct flights between Pune and Singapore
Last month, Vistara said it would operate six flights per week between Delhi and Frankfurt
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Vistara, India's full-service carrier has started direct flights between Pune and Singapore. According to the Gurugram-headquartered company, the airline will operate 4x weekly flights on this route.
"We are excited to be able to connect Pune and Singapore - two cities that were not directly connected thus far. There is a growing demand for air travel between the two cities, especially from corporate travellers," Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said.
Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off the inaugural flight.
Last month, Vistara increased the frequencies of flights operating to Frankfurt and Paris from Delhi following the induction of the third Boeing 787-9 aircraft in its fleet.
The airline said it would operate six flights per week between Delhi and Frankfurt while the frequencies on the Delhi-Paris route would increase to five times per week.
Vistara .dded these flights as its third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner joined the fleet recently. The plane has been customised and comes with a three-class cabin configuration. It has 30 seats in business class, 36 in premium economy class, and 226 seats in economy class.
The airline has a fleet of 54 aircraft, including 41 Airbus A320, five Airbus A321 neo, 5 Boeing 737-800NG, and 3 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Meanwhile, Tata Sons is planning to merge its Air India with Vistara, which it jointly runs with Singapore Airlines.
The country's oldest and largest conglomerate said that the merger will strengthen Singapore Airlines' foothold in India's fast-growing aviation market.
Singapore Airlines is investing $250 million in Air India as part of the deal, giving it a 25.1% stake in the group, with the rest owned by the Tata Group. Both companies aim to complete the merger by March 2024, subject to regulatory approvals, Singapore Airlines said in its statement.
In taking over Air India, Tata absorbed about a quarter of its more than $8.2 billion debt burden.
Between them, Air India and Vistara have 218 aircraft serving 38 international and 52 domestic routes. The merger will make Air India the only carrier in the country with both full-service and low-cost passenger services.
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