Aug 12 2014 : The Economic Times (Delhi)
Tata-SIA Airline Joint Venture Named Vistara
NEW DELHI
OUR BUREAU
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Derived from Sanskrit word that means limitless expanse, Vistara to start operations from Oct; also unveils uniforms of cabin crew and pilots
The full-service airline by the Tata Group and Singapore International Airlines (SIA), likely to be launched by October, will be called Vistara, derived from the Sanskrit word that means limitless expanse.“We actually went through over 500 names to select this. We did debate and discuss on whether we should be leveraging our parents' names but we decided that the airline needs no introduction. We decided to create a niche for ourselves, independent of the parents, in this market and globally,“ Phee Teik Yeoh, chief executive officer of Vistara, told ET.
The branding is in line with the strategy of Singapore Airlines, which gave new names to two other carriers it controls -SilkAir for regional routes and Scoot for its low-fare alternative.
The airline also announced that it would take delivery of its first A-320 aircraft by early September and induct five planes by December. The start of operations is subject to approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is examining the airline's application for an air operator's permit (AOP). The airline is in the last lap of the process of securing the AOP and expects to conduct a proving flight by the end of September.
The carrier also unveiled the uniforms of the cabin crew and pilots, put together by designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore.
The New Delhi-based airline has already leased 20 Airbus A-320s, in cluding seven A-320 Neos, which would be inducted over five years.
The airline had earlier said it would begin services in five cities and then go up to 11 cities within a year of operations. It plans to have 87 weekly flights linking Delhi with Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Srinagar, Patna and Chandigarh. The carrier has made Delhi its operational hub because of capacity constraints at Mumbai airport.
Tata Sons tied up with Singapore Airlines on September 19, 2013, to launch a full-service airline in India with an initial investment of $100 million. While Tata Sons holds a 51% stake in the airline, SIA owns the rest.
The branding is in line with the strategy of Singapore Airlines, which gave new names to two other carriers it controls -SilkAir for regional routes and Scoot for its low-fare alternative.
The airline also announced that it would take delivery of its first A-320 aircraft by early September and induct five planes by December. The start of operations is subject to approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is examining the airline's application for an air operator's permit (AOP). The airline is in the last lap of the process of securing the AOP and expects to conduct a proving flight by the end of September.
The carrier also unveiled the uniforms of the cabin crew and pilots, put together by designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore.
The New Delhi-based airline has already leased 20 Airbus A-320s, in cluding seven A-320 Neos, which would be inducted over five years.
The airline had earlier said it would begin services in five cities and then go up to 11 cities within a year of operations. It plans to have 87 weekly flights linking Delhi with Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jammu, Srinagar, Patna and Chandigarh. The carrier has made Delhi its operational hub because of capacity constraints at Mumbai airport.
Tata Sons tied up with Singapore Airlines on September 19, 2013, to launch a full-service airline in India with an initial investment of $100 million. While Tata Sons holds a 51% stake in the airline, SIA owns the rest.
