India’s Vistara Airlines focuses on expansion, even as Tata talks unification under Air India — Sanjeev Sharma Travel Blog
“On India-Dubai, traffic rights have been almost exhausted,” said Vinod Kannan.
However, there are still routes available in Abu Dhabi, which is why Vistara launched Mumbai to Abu Dhabi services since August last.
“Depending on how the Abu Dhabi–Mumbai route goes, which is performing at above 80 per cent, we are looking to expand to other cities down the road,” he added. Vistara is also open to looking to open other points in South India, a high-performing sector. However, the airline is yet to zero in on operation points.
No special flights
Regarding GCC-wide operations, Kannan considers Saudi Arabia a vast catchment area. Vistara operates four flights to Jeddah, and while there are no special flights to Doha planned for the World Cup, it hopes to re-launch services to Qatar shortly. “We did operate to Qatar during the bilateral bubble agreement that India had with several GCC countries as there was no need for traffic rights at that time,” he added.
All set for Muscat
Vistara also recently announced its fourth destination in the GCC – Muscat. The carrier will begin offering flights from Mumbai to Muscat starting December 12, flying once daily using one of its Airbus A320neos. Covid-triggered losses The Indian airline added five destinations through the COVID-19 phase and additional flights to several international destinations, thanks to the ‘Vande Bharat’ scheme. “COVID-19 has not hampered our growth plans. We were still taking aircraft and growing.”
Vistara had 40 aircraft in 2020 and which has risen to 54 now. “Over the last two-and-a-half years, we added capacity. Where we sit today in terms of numbers of flights and frequencies, we are almost 25 per cent more compared to pre-Covid.”
London run
The airline has also added to its operations to London, Frankfurt, and Paris during the pandemic. “Due to the delay in delivery of the four 787 Dreamliners, we procured a leased aircraft and increased frequencies to Frankfurt and Paris. With the additional four aircraft, we expect to enter Haneda in Tokyo, Incheon in Seoul and eventually the US markets,” Kannan said.
A DROP IN AIRFARES
Pricing has always been a challenge, especially in India, says Vinod Kannan of Vistara Airlines. “Earlier this year, oil prices were at $130, and we had no choice but to pass on some of that cost to the consumer. End of the day, fares and pricing remain a function of supply and demand.”
However, since passenger load factors have improved and people are gravitating towards known airlines, the entire service is focused on customer service experience, said Kannan.”
Our market share has grown despite Covid-related issues. Moreover, the strengthening of the dollar vis-a-vis the rupee has been a big challenge for all airlines operating in India.”
