Vistara has expanded its fleet and network by close to 50 per cent each and has flown around 4.5 million passengers in the last seven months. The airline is set to almost double its fleet size by the end of the current financial year ending March 2020, when compared to the fleet size at the start of FY19-20.
Vistara has taken the count of destinations in its network from 23 to 34, spread across India while also foraying in the international market, with plans to further add multiple destinations and beefing up frequencies on existing key routes in next few months.
The cities added in the last seven months to Vistara’s network are Bangkok (Thailand), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Dibrugarh, Dubai (UAE), Indore, Jodhpur, Khajuraho, Patna, Singapore, Thiruvananthapuram and Udaipur. The expansion has led Vistara to operate nearly 1400 flights a week today, up more than 70 per cent from 800 flights a week it operated by end of March 2019.
Last year, Vistara ordered 50 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family, including the A321neo, to be delivered until 2023 in its plan of densifying domestic operations and embarking on short/medium haul international routes. The deliveries from the said order have begun already, as Vistara inducted three new Airbus A320neo aircraft with enhanced operational performance and cabin features such as in-seat power outlets, USB charging ports and PED holders.
The airline will induct six more A320neo aircraft by December 2019, following which Vistara will get two of the six wide-body aircraft it ordered last year, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and one Airbus A321neo between January and March 2020. With this, from 22 aircraft in March 2019, the airline will take the fleet size to 42 by March 2020.
Leslie Thng, Vistara’s Chief Executive Officer, says, “Network expansion is one of our top business priorities at present and we are proud to have recorded significant progress on this front by adding 11 new destinations in India and abroad in the current financial year so far. With our fleet expansion, we will continue to grow our domestic and international network, including the commencement of medium and long haul international flights in 2020.”
