Summary
- Vistara will soon operate a non-stop service between Delhi and Malé, expanding its presence in the popular tourist destination.
- The carrier will operate daily flights using its A320neo aircrafts.
- Vistara's growth continues despite the upcoming merger with Air India, with plans for network expansion and new aircraft deliveries.
Even as Vistara prepares for its eventual merger with Air India, the airline continues to offer new flights until the deal is finalized. The latest announcement is for its non-stop service between Delhi and Malé in the Maldives. The carrier already operates a Mumbai-Malé flight and will be the only airline flying this route from Delhi.
Delhi- Malé flight
India’s full-service airline Vistara has announced that it will expand its presence in Malé with daily non-stop flights to and from Delhi starting October 1st. The carrier will deploy its A320neo aircraft featuring a three-class configuration on the route for a flight that would last around four hours. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, commented,
“We are thrilled to introduce direct connectivity between Delhi and Malé – our second route to the exquisite beach destination, in addition to Mumbai-Malé. This new route will enable us to provide our customers with enhanced access to one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations while also imparting further momentum to the existing bilateral cooperation between India and the Republic of Maldives.”
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Schedule
Vistara will operate the Delhi- Malé service according to the following schedule:
Sector | Flight No. | Frequency | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Delhi-Malé | UK 0273 | Daily | 10:45 | 14:20 |
Malé-Delhi | UK 0274 | Daily | 15:20 | 19:55 |
The Maldives is a popular tourist destination for passengers from India. According to Cirium, there are more than 300 return flights between Malé and various Indian cities in September, most of which are operated by IndiGo.
Vistara, too, operates a daily service between Malé and Mumbai, competing on the route with IndiGo, which also flies to the Maldives from Bengaluru and Kochi. However, currently, there are no non-stop flights between Delhi and Malé. But that would change once Vistara commences its service in October.
Growth
Vistara is a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines. SIA partnered with the Tata Group to tap the promising domestic market in India and owns 49% of the carrier. It officially began operations on January 9th, 2015 and celebrated its eighth anniversary in January this year.
Recently, it also flew its 50 millionth passenger and celebrated the achievement by launching a special campaign - #50MillionFeelings- to capture the airline's fond memories, emotions, journeys, and experiences in the last eight years.
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The airline’s brand will cease to exist once it merges with Air India. In fact, there are already growing synergies between the two airlines ahead of their merger, with some Air India pilots reportedly set to fly Vistara Dreamliners, too.
But that hasn’t stopped the carrier from continuing with network expansion. It has started several new services, particularly out of Mumbai, and continues to accept new aircraft. It will take deliveries of around ten more aircraft, including three Boeing 787s, and have a fleet of 70 aircraft by March 2024.
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