India's Luxury Airline Vistara Flies Into The Sunset, Merges With Air India

Indian full-service luxury carrier Vistara will operate its last flight on Monday after nine years of service.

All Vistara operations, including helpdesk kiosks and ticketing offices, will be transferred to and managed by Air India. I Photo: Air India Facebook

A joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons, Vistara will merge with Tata-owned Air India to create a single entity with an expanded network and fleet, Nikhil Inamdar reported for BBC News.

This means that all Vistara operations, including helpdesk kiosks and ticketing offices, will be transferred to and managed by Air India.

The process of migrating passengers with existing Vistara bookings and loyalty points to Air India has been underway over the past few months.

“As part of the merger process, meals, service ware, and other in-flight elements have been upgraded to incorporate aspects of both Vistara and Air India,” an Air India spokesperson said in an email response.

Amid concerns that the merger could impact service standards, the Tatas have assured customers that Vistara's in-flight experience will remain unchanged.

Known for its high ratings in food, service, and cabin quality, Vistara has built a loyal customer base, and the decision to retire the brand has been criticized by fans, branding experts, and aviation analysts. The consolidation was primarily intended to address Vistara’s financial losses, explained Mark Martin, an aviation analyst.