Vistara to offer free sanitary pads 'on request' from International Women's Day

Vistara will become the first Indian airline to offer free sanitary pads 'on request' to women travellers on domestic flights from International Women's Day on March 8.

"The airline will provide ISO 9001:2015 certified, bio-degradable and organic sanitary napkins made from plant-based fibres that are free of plastic, toxins and perfume," Vistara said in a statement on Wednesday.

From this Friday, the full-service carrier's cabin crew will make in-flight announcements on all flights to create awareness that sanitary pads are now available on board for customers to freely ask for it if they need it.

"The initiative to provide sanitary pads to our customers is a meaningful one that reflects our core philosophy that 'small things make a big difference'," said Deepa Chadha, senior vice-president, HR and corporate affairs, Vistara.

"As a woman, I feel a greater sense of pride for being part of an organization that's providing such an essential amenity to customers -- something that will help so many travellers in times of need," Chadha added.

Vistara carries has a 3.8% share in the domestic passenger market, as per the January data of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The airline had recently announced the launch of services to Raipur and Dibrugarh (Assam), taking its destinations served to 24 with a fleet of 22 Airbus A320 aircraft operating over 800 flights a week.