Vistara taxies to flying permit

Vistara, the Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture, on Saturday cleared a crucial test before getting the Air Operators Permit (AOP) that allows it to start commercial operations anytime soon.

The full-service airline was planning to start operations by October but it could not as it regulatory approvals did not come its way.

The test flights with officials of Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Vistara on board were conducted on Delhi-Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Delhi sector on Friday night and finished it by by 2:30 am on Saturday.

“We are glad to confirm that we have concluded our proving flights schedule early this morning. This was the last and final milestone to be crossed. We now await to receive the AOP to announce our operations. We are thankful to the DGCA for all their support during the entire process,” Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO of Vistara, said in a statement.

Tata Sons is the majority stake holder in $100 million Vistara with 51 per cent shares while Singapore Airlines has 49 per cent.

The airline has already taken delivery of two Airbus 320s on lease and had initially planned to have five aircraft in its fleet by March next year. For the long-term, the airline has decided to lease 20 Airbus A320s, including seven fuel- efficient A320-neos.
Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines announced the joint venture in September last year.