Monday is a moment in India’s aviation history as Vistara operates its final flight under its own brand before fully integrating with Air India.
From November 12, Vistara's operations will be unified with Air India, marking a transition into a single, consolidated service under the Air India banner.
With this merger, the number of full service carriers in the Indian aviation space will come down to one from five in a span of just over 17 years.
The government has approved foreign direct investment by Singapore Airlines in the Air India-Vistara merger, streamlining their integration into a single full-service carrier under the Air India brand.
Also, the merger that will see Vistara's 49 per cent owner Singapore Airlines holding 25.1 per cent stake in Air India post the merger will mark the sunset of another Indian airline jointly owned by an overseas carrier after the liberalisation of foreign direct investment norms.
In a post, the Vistara airline said: “As the plane ascends, so do our dreams; let’s glide toward the future, where the sky isn’t the limit, but just the beginning.”
The almost-10-year-old Vistara managed to build a loyal base of flyers in India. For loyal Vistara fans, it will take many months to accept that the brand they have grown to love, trust and value will no longer exist.
Many discerning flyers say Vistara was the finest of its kind – for short distances – anywhere in the world.
People online have taken to social media to reminisce about their “last flight” experience with Vistara.
One user said, “Grateful to have experience Vistara on its final day of operations—a brand that truly delivered on its promise of ‘a new feeling’ in travel. Vistara is one of the few brands which overlapped brand promise with brand delivery so seamlessly.”
The user also stated that the crew was nostalgic during the in-flight announcements and played the popular Bollywood song “Kal Ho Na Ho” upon landing.
Many passengers referred to Vistara as the “finest” domestic airline in India and wished it well on the consolidation of operations with Air India.
Among several emotional posts, one user posted a screenshot of a Club Vistara email which announced the end of their services and captioned it as “ Vistara, why are you breaking up with me.”
People also posted positively about the crew of Vistara flights and the services made available on the flights such as the food, which differentiated the quality of the airline more than others.
When the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government permitted foreign airlines to acquire up to 49 per cent in a domestic carrier in 2012, it led to Jet Airways securing a 24 per cent stake from the Gulf carrier Etihad and the emergence of AirAsia India and Vistara.
Vistara was the only full-service carrier to have commenced operations in the past decade in Indian skies. Since the merger of full-service carrier (FSC) Indian Airlines with Air India in 2007, at least five FSCs dotted the Indian skies.
As years passed by, Kingfisher and Air Sahara faded away while Vistara took flight in January 2015. Kingfisher went belly up in 2012 while Air Sahara, which was acquired by Jet Airways and renamed as JetLite, sank with Jet Airways in 2019.
In the first month after the merger, more than 115,000 passengers with Vistara tickets will fly under the Air India name. The group has, however, said that the Vistara experience will not change. The airline will now operate with flight codes beginning with ‘2’, such as AI 2955 for the current UK 955 flight.
The airline had announced that the same Vistara product and service experience will still be on offer. There would be help desk kiosks set up at airports to help with the transition. At international airports, signage and information will guide passengers to the correct check-in desks, while the Vistara contact centre will redirect calls to Air India's representatives to ensure continuity.
The loyalty members of Vistara will be migrated to the Air India programme. Will the new Air India be able to win over the loyalty of Vistara flyers?
The answer is up in the air.
(With inputs from agencies)