The Tata-Singapore Airline (SIA) joint venture, Vistara Airlines, is likely to take off by the month-end. A senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told dna that the airline may well launch its services this month itself.
"It (Vistara) is undergoing flight tests, where it has to operate demonstration flights for 10 hours on five non-revenue routes and carry out evacuation exercise to acquire flying licence. If they clear it on time, they are good for flying before the end of this month," said the official.
Responding to an email query from dna, Vistara said; "We are ready to launch operations as soon as we receive regulatory approvals."
The Tata group announced its tie-up with Singapore Airlines about a year ago to tap the full-service market. It has joined hands with Malaysia's AirAsia in the low-fare segment.
Union aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had himself reportedly asked DGCA to expedite Vistara's regulatory clearances.
The yet-to-be-launched airline, which has made Delhi its home base, said it would be focusing on growing its operations in cities where there is demand for a full-service airline.
"We will be able to share more details when we are closer to the operational launch," it said in response to a dna query, refusing to disclose destination networks.
Vistara, however, said it would commence booking shortly after it receives the Airline Operator Permit (AOP). The airline also did not reveal what would be the configuration of its aircraft. It had earlier said that the initial plan is to operate two A320 aircraft.
"We configured our aircraft to fit our route network plan and reflect our brand value propositions. We will be sharing more details at a later stage," the airline wrote back.
An executive with a domestic airline, who did not want to be named, said it normally take 2-3 weeks after getting AOP for an airline to start flying commercially. Going by that estimate, Vistara should be in the skies by the end of this month or early next year.
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