Vistara Operates Final Flights as Merger with Air India Takes Off on Tuesday

Full-service airline Vistara will witness its last flights today as it will be merged with the Air India Group on Tuesday.

The Air India Group has said, in a statement, that Vistara flights will thereafter begin operating under the flight code 'AI2'.

Post the merger, Singapore Airlines will have 25.1% in Air India, which is owned by Tata Group. In 2015, Vistara was established as a JV, where Singapore Airlines held 49% stake.

Though Vistara is to be inducted into Air India from November 12, experience at Vistara "remains the same", said the Tata Group-owned airline.

The company claims to have worked extremely hard over the last year since the announcement of the merger to ensure that the integration of the legal and regulated entities would be as smooth as possible for both the customers and the employees.

While the entities and Air Operator Certificates will be merged from 12 November, the experience will remain Vistara. The Vistara aircraft, crews, and service will continue unchanged but with AI2XXX flight numbers bookable on airindia.com," said an Air India spokesperson in a statement.

More than that, however, Air India's narrow-body fleet will be upgraded with new aircraft deliveries, legacy aircraft being refitted with entirely new interiors, and Vistara's catering now also extended to Air India.

"We look forward to drawing upon the proud legacies and best practices of both airlines as we form a new airline group of which India can be proud," the spokesman added.

Air India has announced that it had agreed to harmonize operating procedures across key functions for the four Tata Group airlines as a critical step towards integrating them.

Singapore Airlines has stated that after an expected merger of Vistara with Tata Group-owned airline, it would invest Rs 3,194.5 crore in Air India.

At the same time, Air India subsidiaries, AIX Connect formerly Air Asia and Air India Express have been merged into one low budget airline.