Vistara flight adjustments | Image:Skytraxratings
Vistara Airlines is scaling back operations by 10 per cent, or around 25-30 flights per day, the carrier said on April 7 in a bid to stabilise operations amid a shortage of pilots.
The jointly owned carrier by Tata group and Singapore Airlines at present operates over 300 flights a day in its summer schedule since March 31, but several flights have been cancelled since April 1 after pilots went on sick leave.
According to a statement, an airline spokesperson said they are “carefully scaling back” operations by around 25-30 flights per day, i.e. roughly 10 per cent of the capacity they were operating at.
“This will take us back to the same level of flight operations as at the end of February 2024, and provide the much-needed resilience and buffer in the rosters,” the spokesperson added.
Reasons cited by some of the pilots who went on leave was on their pay having been slashed, as the company sees a merger with Tata-owned Air India in the later part of 2024.
The pilots also complained of growing fatigue from a busy flight schedule. While not referring to the pilot absences, the carrier said these cancellations were mostly done in the domestic network and much ahead of time to lessen any inconvenience caused to customers.
“All the affected passengers have already been re-accommodated on other flights, as applicable,” it said, adding that on-time performance has gone up.
The changes would aid stabilise operations for the rest of April and beyond, Vistara said.
Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan on April 5 said a stretched roster was the main reason for the flight disruptions.
Last week the civil aviation ministry said it was monitoring Vistara’s rise in flight cancellations, seeking more information on disrupting flights.
A few sections of the pilots also raised inhibitions about the new contract, resulting in pay revisions ahead of the airline proposed to be merged with Air India.
(With agency inputs)
