Vistara’s final descent as merger with Air India takes off

Full-service airline Vistara will operate its last flights today as it will be merged with the Air India Group on Tuesday.

National carrier Air India has announced that flights operated by Vistara will start using the flight code 'AI2' after the merger of the two airlines.

After the merger, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Tata Group-owned Air India. In 2015, Vistara was set up as a JV with a 49 per cent stake of Singapore Airlines.

Despite the integration on November 12, the Vistara experience will "remain the same", said the Tata Group-owned airline.

According to the company, both the airlines have been working hard for over a year to ensure that the merger of the legal and regulated entities is seamless for both customers and staff.

“Though the legal entities and Air Operator Certificates will become one on 12 November, the Vistara experience will remain. Vistara aircraft, crew and service will continue to operate as before, but with AI2XXX flight numbers bookable via airindia.com," said an Air India spokesperson in a statement.

In parallel, Air India's narrow-body fleet will continue to be upgraded with new aircraft being delivered, legacy aircraft being refitted with entirely new interiors and Vistara's catering now also extended to Air India.

“We look forward to drawing upon the proud legacies and best practices of both airlines as we form a new airline group of which India can be proud,” the spokesperson added.

In July this year, Air India said it had completed harmonising operating procedures across key functions for the four Tata Group airlines as a crucial step towards the merger.

Singapore Airlines has stated that it will invest Rs 3,194.5 crore in Air India following the anticipated merger of Vistara with the Tata Group owned airline.

At the same time, Air India's subsidiaries, AIX Connect (formerly Air Asia) and Air India Express, have merged to form a single low-budget airline.