Vistara operated its last domestic and international flights on Monday (November 11) ahead of its merger with Air India on Tuesday (November 12). The final flights include UK 986 from Mumbai to Delhi and UK 115 from Delhi to Singapore. This will be the last time the flight code “UK” appears, as Vistara flights will adopt the new Air India code “AI2XXX” from Tuesday onward.
Interestingly, when Vistara began operations on January 9, 2015, its inaugural flight was from Delhi to Mumbai, marking a full circle for the airline’s journey.
In a heartfelt farewell post on X (formerly Twitter), Vistara expressed its gratitude to passengers: “Thank you for being part of this unforgettable journey and showering us with your #VistaraLove. We will forever cherish these memories. Please follow @airindia for all the latest updates.”
Air India fleet expands
The merger will result in an expanded fleet of 208 aircraft, operating on 103 domestic and 71 international routes, serving 49 domestic and 42 international destinations. Air India also plans to add more aircraft, including wide-body jets, in the coming months.
This merger marks the second major consolidation in India’s rapidly growing aviation sector, following a similar wave of integrations in 2006-2007. After the Vistara merger—Tata Group’s second significant airline consolidation following the October integration of AIX Connect with Air India Express—Air India will be the sole full-service carrier in India.
The 2006-2007 period saw the merger of Indian Airlines with Air India, Air Sahara with Jet Airways, and Air Deccan’s integration with Kingfisher Airlines.
