How will passengers benefit from integration of Air India, Vistara’s aircraft line maintenance operations?

In a run-up to their merger, Air India and Vistara have received approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to integrate their aircraft line maintenance operations. The move marks a crucial milestone in unifying the maintenance resources of both airlines under the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) 145 framework, the official release said.

The integration will consolidate Vistara’s Line Maintenance activities within Air India’s existing facilities in order to optimise resources, systems and processes across the board. By leveraging the combined technical expertise of both airlines, the merger is set to significantly enhance Air India’s capabilities in fleet maintenance, ensuring greater self-reliance and the implementation of industry-leading practices across all Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) operations.

How will this benefit passengers?

A key benefit of this integration will be the optimization of resources to improve operational performance and reduce aircraft turnaround times, which is expected to bolster on-time performance. With a unified maintenance team and streamlined resources, Air India will be better equipped to service its diverse fleet of widebody and narrowbody aircraft, thereby enhancing schedule integrity and operational reliability.

Currently, Air India manages in-house line maintenance at 12 stations across India. The merger will further strengthen these capabilities, making Air India more self-reliant and efficient in its maintenance operations. The integration will also bring key technical activities related to aircraft and components under a single, unified scope of work.

Beyond operational improvements, the merger will embrace best industry practices, thereby strengthening the overall engineering capacity and resources of the combined entity. By consolidating the maintenance teams under one umbrella, the airlines aim to streamline and coordinate work processes more effectively, enhancing the synergy of their technical teams.

The enhanced collaboration between Air India and Vistara is also expected to result in real-time availability of maintenance records, enabling faster diagnosis and troubleshooting of technical issues. Additionally, the combined strength will create economies of scale in resource mobilization and augment trained manpower to meet the maintenance needs of the Group Carriers, including Air India Express, which has previously benefited from Vistara’s maintenance services.