Vistara flights from Delhi, Mumbai to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai
Indian airline Vistara spreads its wings to Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai as first pins in fledgling international network map.
By David Flynn, August 7 2019
Indian airline Vistara is opening up new international routes, with Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai representing the first destinations in a growth strategy for Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Vistara – a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata – this week launches Boeing 737 flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Singapore, along with a codeshare partnership with Singapore Airlines and regional arm SilkAir on Vistara flights to more than 20 Indian destinations.
Singapore is not only a popular destination for Indian travellers but is also a hub for many passengers from Australia, who fly to India via the city-state with Singapore Airlines and its regional arm SilkAir.
“We’re excited to start with Singapore as our first international destination, which we see as a very important market given the opportunities it presents for corporate, business as well as leisure travel,” said Vistara CEO Leslie Thng in welcoming the airline's first international routes.
Vistara's Boeing 737s have eight business class seats with a 40-44" pitch and 7" recline, an extendable leg rest and foot rest.
Passengers have a checked baggage allowance 30kg to 40kg depending on the type of business class fare they choose (Value, Standard or Flexi), with lounge access provided by Vistara and partner lounges.
The 156 economy seats have a 30” pitch and 3.5” recline, with included checked luggage allowances of 15kg for Lite and Standard fares and 20kg for Flexi fares.
Vistara's Singapore flights will be followed by an Airbus A320 service between Mumbai and Dubai beginning August 21, 2019, and Delhi-Bangkok from August 27, 2019.
Growth trajectory
Thng says the company plans to have a fleet of 41 aircraft by the end of this year, and increase it to as many as 70 by 2023. The first of six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners is due to roll into Vistara's hangars in February 2020.
Singapore Airlines sees Vistara as a weapon against Emirates and Etihad in a grab for India’s international travellers, and a slice of one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.
The number of passengers in India will more than triple to 520 million by 2037, the International Air Transport Association says – and of the 63 million people that flew to and from the country last year, two thirds were carried by foreign airlines.
Vistara is a key element of Singapore Airlines’ multi-hub strategy, and the launch of international operations offers additional opportunities to it, a spokesman for the airline said.
Emirates, often dubbed the “unofficial national carrier of India,” controlled almost 15% of the market to and from India last year, regulatory data compiled by Bloomberg showed.
Suspension of flights by full-service rival Jet Airways has helped discount carriers gain market share in the country, but demand for premium product should still grow, CEO Thng, adding that Vistara is trying to take advantage of a gap in the market created by Jet’s demise.
[Additional reporting by Bloomberg]
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
16 Jan 2018
Total posts 128
Someone has to fill the void that Jet Airways left...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2011
Total posts 362
Vistara are outstanding
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1207
This still doesn't solve Qantas' problem of not having a consistent partner to connect its pax into India. Previously Qantas and Jet offered a well-timed scissor hub in SIN meaning one-stop flights from most AU capital cities to most major Indian cities. Vistara's links with SQ mean it is unlikely to fill the void.
17 Nov 2016
Total posts 15
Qantas now allow SQ & MI via SIN, TG & PG via BKK, AI via SIN, BKK or HKG. Admittedly you will not get Qantas FF but there are alternatives.
Qantas
19 Apr 2012
Total posts 1429
The Hong Kong hub works well for me. I use it for Dhaka and kolkata flights but QF now have a code share on broader group of CX flights. Colombo is good for southern India Chennai et al.
25 Feb 2015
Total posts 67
Given that Qantas does now allow bookings on the SIN-DEL/BOM flight on SQ, surely some kind of codeshare on these new UK sectors could be possible. In any case it’s great that QFFs never have to fly a QF sector on 9W again!
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
17 Nov 2014
Total posts 101
I wonder whether Vistara may fly to Sydney or Melbourne someday soon?
In particular as Vistara is 49% owned by SIA, which owns 20% of Virgin, this is very possible to allow Velocity members to partner with Vistara, which in turn will have sufficient customer base for connection and loyalty customers for these routes?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Nov 2017
Total posts 349
Probably till end of 2019 at the soonest with x6 leased 789s, but most likely later for them.
IIRC according to the news articles Vistara is just concentrating on short-haul international expansion, and if they do get the leased 789s, most likely the widebodies will be on domestic/international short haul for "familiarisation" before they start long-haul Int'l ops in mid/late 2020.
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