Air India is planning to send some first officers trained for narrow-body A320 family planes to Vistara. This move comes as Vistara faces challenges with pilot shortages. These pilots will be sent to Vistara on a deputation basis, pending the acquisition of necessary regulatory approvals, sources told news agency PTI.
Air India and Vistara opted not to comment on the matter.
According to two sources, the number of narrow-body pilots expected to be deputed to Vistara could slightly exceed 30.
One source noted that this would mark the first time Air India pilots are deputed to Vistara for narrow-body aircraft operations.
Around 24 pilots from Air India are already on deputation to operate Vistara’s wide-body Boeing 787 planes, as per the source. This group comprises 16 commanders and eight first officers.
Vistara announced reduction in capacity
On April 7, Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has cut its operational capacity by 10 per cent or 25-30 flights daily due to pilot issues.
“We are carefully scaling back our operations by around 25-30 flights per day, i.e. roughly 10 per cent of the capacity we were operating. This will take us back to the same level of flight operations as at the end of February 2024, and provide the much-needed resilience and buffer in the rosters,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, boasts approximately 6,500 employees, comprising 1,000 pilots and 2,500 cabin crew members. Its fleet consists of 70 aircraft, which includes 53 Airbus A320 neos, 10 Airbus A321s, and 7 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.