Vistara will operate its final flight under its own brand on Monday (November 11). All Vistara flights scheduled for travel on or after November 12, 2024, will be booked through the Air India website due to the ongoing merger between Vistara and Air India, the full-service airlines jointly owned by the Tatas and Singapore Airlines.
On this date, Vistara’s fleet will officially be integrated with Air India’s. As the two airlines unite, passengers may notice some changes to their travel experience.
After this development, India will now have only one full-service carrier, a significant reduction from the five it had just 17 years ago. This shift follows the 2012 liberalisation of foreign direct investment norms, which led to the launch of Vistara and other foreign-invested airlines. Vistara’s merger marks the end of an era of joint ventures with foreign carriers in India’s aviation industry.
Special code to help identify Vistara flights post merger
The airline assured the passengers that the Vistara flight will remain largely unchanged in terms of the in-flight experience. However, these flights will now be identified by a new Air India flight code, starting with AI 2XXX. For example, Vistara flight UK 955 (Delhi to Mumbai) will be rebranded as AI 2955.
Furthermore, from November 12, 2024, Vistara’s Club Vistara will merge with Air India’s Flying Returns program. All CV Points, Tier Points, and available vouchers will be transferred to the corresponding Flying Returns account, and members will retain their current Tier Status.
With the merger, both airlines aim to streamline their services and offer enhanced benefits to passengers.
“As Club Vistara joins wings with Air India’s Flying Returns programme to become Maharaja Club, India’s largest frequent flyer program, we wish to apprise you that your Club Vistara Account will not be accessible after 04:00 PM IST on 10 November 2024. You will be unable to log in to your account after this time. We recommend that you submit Retro Claims online and earn CV Points for your past travel with Vistara before 10 November 2024, if they have not been submitted already. Additionally, we encourage you to download a record of your previous transactions from your Club Vistara account,” stated an email from Vistara.
Air India-Vistara merger details
The government has approved Singapore Airlines’ foreign direct investment in the Air India-Vistara merger, paving the way for the integration of the two carriers into a single full-service airline under the Air India brand. This merger will consolidate both airlines into one unified entity.
As part of the transition, from September 3, 2024, customers will gradually lose the ability to make bookings with Vistara for travel dates on or after November 12, 2024.
Announced in November 2022, the merger will result in Singapore Airlines holding a 25.1% stake in the combined airline once the deal is finalized.
Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan has stated that the merger aims to provide passengers with more travel options by expanding the fleet and network, while enhancing the overall travel experience.