London is the “crown jewel” of Vistara’s flight destinations

Rupanjana Dutta Wednesday 18th May 2022 11:28 EDT
 

Vistara, a Tata Group and Singapore Airlines joint venture, has recently launched a fast track security clearance service for business class passengers at London’s Heathrow Airport, travelling from London to Delhi. The airline’s CEO Vinod Kannan on 10 May, at a press conference at the Taj Hotel, called London its “crown jewel” among the other international destinations they currently fly to. 

From the beginning of May the airline has started daily flights between London and Delhi in India with further connections to 29 cities in India.

At the press conference, the airline’s CEO indicated that a second flight would be on the cards as more aircraft and slots become available. The evening concluded with a dinner attended by travel agents, airline partners and other industry leaders.

Speaking to the journalists, Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said, “Internationally, we cover a total of 10 cities, London being the ‘crown jewel’ which we have ramped up to a daily service this month (May). 

"For now, we are very, very happy with the route, the load factors are very strong. The average load factors are in excess of 80-85 per cent and the front-end cabins are well subscribed. If we did have the aircraft, Europe would definitely be a focus point, probably with a second London-Delhi flight if we get the slots, and Paris and Frankfurt would go up daily. The US is a sector we would look at further down the line.” 

Though the airline does not plan to start any direct non-stop flight to other regions of India, Mumbai is possibly on the card, though currently constrained by the supply of 787 Dreamliners. While the airline is already operating two, they are still in need of at least four more.

Looking at the post-pandemic expansion ideas, especially after Brexit, Mr Kannan, insisted that the game of the plan is flexibility. Though Vistara started operation internationally during the Covid pandemic as a part of the air bubble arrangement between India and other countries, Vistara was among the only few airlines to open more destinations during the pandemic. He further thinks, code sharing with other airlines including British Airways and other partner airlines may prove to be useful, now and in the future, as the world opens up to normal travelling. 

Though he admitted high fares on long-haul flights, triggered by fuel price and Russia-Ukraine war are here to stay, he was hopeful that Vistara’s fantastic services with price and membership choices, food and beverages such as on board Starbucks coffee, touchless technology such as paperless baggage tag and rewards through frequent flyer program will attract loyal passengers.

He further said, "We are probably one of the few airlines that opened more destinations during the pandemic, something we are proud of. Now that we have gone through the tough part, we look forward to what the future holds. With our product offering, we feel very well placed to operate in this part of the world and provide a viable alternative to customers flying to and from the UK.”

The airline is on course to induct more than 20 new aircraft, a mix of narrow-body and wide-body, by 2023, taking the total count to over 70 aircraft, moving forward in its vision of becoming a global airline of choice. 

“We believe the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination. Vistara challenges the status-quo and offers the finest flying experience among all Indian carriers by being agile, and keeping pace with time and evolving customer preferences. Being a pioneering brand that brought many firsts to Indian aviation, Vistara is focused on continuous innovation and consistent delivery of customer service excellence,” said Mr Kannan.

Celebrating the fast track service at London Heathrow, in a statement, Deepak Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, reportedly said, "Starting May 11, our business class customers departing from London Heathrow airport are able to avoid long queues for security checks and breeze through the Fast-Track Security gates thereby enjoying a seamless experience." 

Besides London, Vistara also connects India with other international destinations such as, Bangkok (Thailand), Dubai (UAE), Kathmandu (Nepal) Singapore, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Paris CDG (France), Male (Maldives) and Frankfurt (Germany). The airline has flown more than 30 million passengers since starting operations. 


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