After September 3, passengers will no longer be able to book flights with Vistara.
This change is due to the upcoming merger of Vistara, a joint venture between Air India and Singapore Airlines. The merger is expected to be completed soon.
On Friday, Singapore Airlines announced that it had received approval from the Indian government for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) related to the merger.
Singapore Airlines currently holds a 49% stake in Vistara, and after the merger, it will acquire a 25.1% stake in Air India. The Tata Group will own the remaining 74.9% of the airline.
Changes in Booking and Operations
Vistara has announced that it will gradually reduce the booking of passenger tickets starting September 3.
No bookings will be accepted for flights on or after November 12. Vistara’s aircraft will be integrated into Air India’s operations,
and bookings for routes currently operated by Vistara will be redirected to the Air India website.
Vistara will continue to operate flights as usual until November 11, 2024, but starting November 12, 2024, the flight numbers for Vistara flights will be changed to Air India codes.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson informed employees via an internal email that after November 12, all reservations already made on Vistara flights will be automatically converted to Air India flight numbers.
This process will be done in phases during September, and customers will be personally informed.
The company is also working on the transfer of Vistara employees who have not yet moved to Air India, ensuring a smooth transition for both the staff and the airline.
Merger Timeline and Future Plans
The proposed merger between Vistara and Air India was announced in November 2022.
Air India is owned by the Tata Group, while Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines confirmed that it received FDI approval from the Indian government as part of the merger process.
The completion of the merger is subject to compliance with Indian laws and is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024.
The merger was approved by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLT) in June and is expected to create one of the largest airline groups in the world.
