Vistara, the new airline of Tata SIA Airlines, on Friday, commenced commercial operations.
The maiden flight from Delhi arrived in Mumbai at 2.50 p.m., and received the traditional water cannon salute. With a fleet of three Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline will initially operate in the Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad sectors. By March, it plans to have five aircraft and open more sectors.
Second attempt This is the second time the Tatas have entered the full service airline business. In 1932, the Tatas had started Tata Airlines, which was renamed Air India in 1946, and was subsequently nationalised in 1953.
Successful start The successful start of this venture comes after two previous serious attempts with SIA, which were foiled by detractors.
In a statement Ratan N. Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, said, “It has been a long-cherished dream for the Tata group to establish a world-class full service airline in India in partnership with Singapore Airlines, and today that dream has come to life.”
“I would like to dedicate this day to JRD Tata, the man who started it all, and established India’s first international airline. His futuristic vision continues to inspire us, and we salute his spirit and dream,” Mr. Tata said. He could not attend the inaugural function as he was unwell.
Exciting chapter “Today marks the start of the new exciting chapter in Tata Group’s history as we take to the skies again. For long now, we have held on to this particular dream, and today I can proudly say that our persistence has been well worth it and has paid off,” Tata SIA Airlines Chairman Prasad Menon said.
“To see Vistara take flight in record time is a matter of great pride to me and my entire team. The flight today I would like to invite India to ‘Fly the New Feeling’ with Vistara,” Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said.
Published - January 09, 2015 04:48 pm IST