Earlier this week, Tata- Singapore Airlines’ joint venture Vistara launched its international operations with maiden flights to Singapore from Delhi and Mumbai. Amid Jet Airways grounding and Air India’s mounting debt pile, the time is ripe for other carriers to fill the void in the domestic and international aviation market. However, Vistara’s move also comes in the light of revocation of the 5/20 rule for international flights, making it the first beneficiary of the rule.
According to the 5/20 rule (now-scrapped), Indian carriers were required to complete at least five years in domestic operations and also have at least 20 aircraft in the fleet before the airline is permitted to fly on international routes. However, the same was revoked in 2016 and as per the updated civil aviation policy, the five-year clause of the rule no longer stands. Had the rule been effective now, Vistara, which was launched in 2015, would have had to wait until 2020 to fly internationally. Under the new norm, carriers only need 20 aircraft deployed on domestic operations to be able to fly internationally. Meanwhile, talks of divesting another international airline — Air India — are also rife.
However, Vistara is not the only domestic airline which will serve in the Singapore market. Several other airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, in addition to global premium carriers such as Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, etc also have a presence in the Asian country.
Vistara is also expected to expand further and is likely to announce services to Colombo and Kathmandu. Bangkok and Dubai are also on the cards, Vistara announced. The airline looks to deploy its narrow-body fleet that comprises Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 aircraft. Vistara is also expecting deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft due by next year. This will enable the premium airline to operate on long-haul routes such as destinations in Europe, Australia, etc.