Vistara-Air India merger; bookings for Vistara to stop from September 3, unified operations start from November 12

TATA SIA Airlines Limited, known by the brand name of Vistara announced its merger with Air India on Friday.

The company said in a statement that customers will not be able to make bookings with Vistara for travel on or after November 12."Starting 03 September 2024, customers will, progressively, no longer be able to make bookings with Vistara for travel on or after 12 November 2024," the company said.

However, Vistara will continue to take bookings and operate flights as usual till 11 November 2024. All Vistara aircraft will be operated by Air India and bookings for the routes operated by these aircraft will be redirected to Air India's website, the company informed.

During this transition period, both Vistara and Air India will ensure necessary support, consistent communication, and convenience to all customers, every step of the way.

Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, "We are immensely grateful to all our customers for their support and patronage over the last 10 years. As we progress further in our growth journey, we want to emphasize that this merger is about offering them more choice with a larger fleet and a wider network, while elevating the overall travel experience. Vistara and Air India are committed to ensuring that this transition is smooth and hassle-free. We are excited about this new phase in our journey and look forward to welcoming our customers again soon - as Air India."

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said, "Cross-functional teams from Air India and Vistara have been working together for many months to make the transition of aircraft, flying crew, ground-based colleagues and, most importantly, our valued customers, into the new Air India as seamless as possible. The joint team looks forward to offering our guests an expanded network, additional flight options, an enhanced frequent flyer program and the best of both antecedent airlines and are grateful for the support of our loyal customers through this next phase of building a world class, world scale, global airline with an Indian heart."

On August 10, Both companies secured the CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement) 145 approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to integrate their aircraft line maintenance operations, as per an official release.