Post merger, Vistara aircraft to be used for metro to metro routes

Vistara, which introduced flight operations in January 2015, has a narrow-body fleet of 63 A320 and A321s, which are, on an average, 2.6 to 3.8 years old. File photo
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

All 63 newer narrow-body aircraft in Vistara’s fleet will serve metro-to-metro routes once it merges with Air India on November 12 to ensure superior experience for passengers on high- density routes, according to a senior executive at Air India.

“The metro-to-metro routes will be ring-fenced, where newer aircraft of Vistara will be deployed. These will be pulled out from the non-metro routes, and replaced by older aircraft in Air India’s fleet,” a senior official of Air India said on the sidelines of an industry event here.

This will be done to ensure passengers can have consistent experience, the person explained. This differentiated fleet deployment will continue at least until June, when Air India intends to complete the refurbishment of its 25 narrow-body planes with new carpets, curtains, upholstery, cabin panels, subtle cabin lighting, among others. 

Similarly, Vistara’s 7 wide-body aircraft will be deployed only on routes to Frankfurt and London Heathrow, while Air India aircraft will continue to serve the remaining long-haul routes, including all flights to Paris which is also currently being served by Vistara.

Vistara, which introduced flight operations in January 2015, has a narrow-body fleet of 63 A320 and A321s, which are, on an average, 2.6 to 3.8 years old. The seven widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners that started joining the fleet in 2018 have an average age of 4 years. Compare this with Air India’s A319s (24) and A321s (24) which have an average age of 16.2 and 12.2 years, and its A320s (95) with an average age of 5.5 years. Add to this, Vistara’s superior in-flight experience due to its new seats, mood lighting, in-flight meals and catering, which have left its loyal customers anxious over the merger.

In a bid to reassure them, Air India also announced that while Vistara will cease to be a separate airline from November 12, the in-flight experience will remain unchanged on its fleet which includes the passenger cabin. Its flights will also be easily identifiable by the digit 2 pre-fixed to all flight codes.