In 2013, Vistara’s two parent companies, Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, decided to fulfil a long-cherished shared dream to bring a distinguished flying experience to travellers in India.
With its strong historical ties with aviation, the Tata group had long wished to re-enter the aviation sector, after Tata Airlines was renamed Air India and eventually nationalised. Both the Tata group and Singapore Airlines were also firm believers in the growth potential of the Indian aviation sector and had tried to enter the market in the past.
After restrictions in foreign investment in Indian aviation were relaxed, the two organisations once again sought approval for a JV partnership, which it obtained in October 2013. On November 5, 2013, Vistara’s holding company, TATA SIA Airlines Limited, was incorporated.
The goal of the joint venture is to redefine air travel; and to provide its customers a seamless and personalised flying experience that blends Tata’s and SIA’s service excellence and legendary hospitality. Today, Vistara has Codeshare/Interline agreements with 43 major airlines.
A Limitless Expanse
The brand name ‘Vistara’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Vistaar’ which means ‘a limitless expanse’. The name draws inspiration from the world that Vistara inhabits, viz. the ‘limitless’ sky. The Vistara star is derived from a Yantra, an ancient symbol that depicts an unbounded universe in a perfect mathematical form.
At its heart, is an 8-pointed star derived from the compass rose that signals the brand’s commitment to excellence in everything that it does. The brand also draws stimulus from the image that passengers most associate with a smooth and enjoyable flight – the endless, blue horizon they see through the windows of an aircraft.
On 9 January 2015, Vistara started its operations with its maiden flight from Delhi to Mumbai. In the span of seven years, Vistara has won over millions of passengers offering them the ‘new feeling of flying’ with a world-class product, while rapidly expanding its network and fleet.
From the beginning, Vistara has aimed to transform the flying experience and bring back the joy of air travel. The company believes the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination.
Vistara operates over 260 flights a day with a fleet of 52 aircraft (42 Airbus A320, 2 Boeing 737-800NG, 5 Airbus A321neo and 3 Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner). The airline connects 31 cities across India, namely, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jammu, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Leh, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur and Varanasi. Vistara currently connects 14 international destinations: Abu Dhabi (UAE), Bangkok (Thailand), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Dubai (UAE), Frankfurt (Germany), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Kathmandu (Nepal), London Heathrow (United Kingdom), Male (Maldives), Muscat (Oman), Paris CDG (France) and Singapore. The airline has flown more than 42 million passengers since starting operations.
Transforming the flying experience
From the beginning, Vistara has aimed to transform the flying experience and bring back the joy of air travel. The company believes the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination. Vistara challenges the status-quo and offers the finest flying experience among all Indian carriers by being agile, and keeping pace with time and evolving customer preferences. Being a pioneering brand that brought many firsts to the Indian aviation, Vistara is focused on continuous innovation and consistent delivery of customer service excellence.
Comfortable Economy Class
Vistara’s Economy Class seats have been styled to maximize legroom. The ergonomically styled seats come equipped with headrests for enhanced comfort throughout the journey. The cabin has set a new benchmark in style and comfort in Indian aviation ensuring the journey of customers is smoother than ever. The Economy Class experience on Vistara includes:
● Airbus A320: 29” seat pitch, 3” seat recline | Airbus A321neo: Up to 29” seat pitch, 3” seat recline | Boeing 737-800NG: 30” seat pitch, 5” recline | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner: 31” seat pitch and 5” seat recline
● In-seat USB Port (available on select Airbus 320neo and on Airbus 321neo and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner)
● IFE Screen: 12” HD Display (on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner) and 10” HD Display (on Airbus A321neo)
● Comfortable seat bottom cushion for support
● Padded or winged headrests
● Complimentary selection of F&B to delight customers
Products and Services
● #VistaraPriority: Designed for the time-constrained Economy class customers, this service offers priority check-in, baggage handling and boarding.
● Carry On Plus: Allows customers to carry up to 12 kg of hand baggage
● Vistara Upgrades: Vistara offers attractive upgrade options online as well as through the Call Centre and airport offices
● Lounge Access: Access to partner lounges at select airports across cities at a nominal fee
● Online Excess Baggage: Discounted excess baggage fees, if purchased online in advance
● Vistara Gate to Gate: Luggage picked up and dropped at the destination to provide safe and easy way to travel
● Vistara Select: Allows customers to select their preferred seat for the perfect view or an aisle seat for added comfort.
● Vistara Meet and Assist: On-ground travel assistance to ensure a seamless and hassle-free departure and arrival experience for passengers.
● Vistara Getaways: Caters to your travel and safety needs right from your flight with us, to booking your stay at top hotels handpicked by our travel partner, Thomas Cook.
● Vistara Bridge: An exclusive tool for our corporate clients to directly book Vistara flights and services with ease and enjoy the benefits that come when flying with us
● Vistara Direct: Those booking directly with Vistara on the airline’s website or mobile app get certain privileges including one free change or cancellation within 24 hours of booking, 100 bonus Club Vistara (CV) Points for CV members, special applicable discount and attractive offers from MobiKwik.
Entertainment
Vistara World: Available on all Vistara’s Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, it is the airline’s wireless Wi-Fi IFE streaming system that customers can access on their personal handheld devices. It offers a rich multimedia library of Bollywood and Hollywood content of various genres. It features movies of various categories such as Drama, Romance, Comedy, Thriller, Action, Adventure and Kids, as well as popular Indian and Western TV programmes and a selection of music including Indian, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Electronica and English Retro. In addition, it offers a 3D live moving map display that allows one to track their aircraft as it flies.
Seat-back IFE: Vistara’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo is equipped with a state-of-the-art IFE system that provide passengers a rich multimedia library of nearly 700 hours of wide-ranging engaging content that includes movies, TV shows and audio compilations of various genres as well as games. It includes a superior map experience with ArcTM 3D inflight map and ArcTM Kids Map.
IFC on International Flights: Vistara’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A321neo aircraft are equipped with a state-of-the-art wireless connectivity system by Panasonic Avionics which allows passengers to access the internet on all Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Vistara customers can stay seamlessly connected at 35,000 feet above the ground, send email, access information, use social media and more.
Vistara was the first Indian airline to offer special ‘wellness-focused’ IFE content across its fleet in association with Shyft. It includes tracks for guided meditations, soothing music, sleep-inducing stories, and more to help reduce common in-flight discomforts of its customers while elevating their overall flying experience.
Vistara Club
Club Vistara (CV) is the fastest rewarding and the least restrictive frequent flyer program ever launched in India. It is a holistic lifestyle program spanning a multitude of travel and lifestyle choice touchpoints including but not limited to flights, hotels, credit cards, retail, etc. It offers faster points accrual, easy redemptions and a host of exciting elite tier benefits. There are four tiers of membership of Club Vistara – CV Base, CV Silver, CV Gold and the highest tier, CV Platinum. Members can redeem their points for Vistara award flights and flight upgrades. CV members can also enjoy accruals and redemption on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Japan Airlines and United Airlines.
Recent Awards
- Best Airline in India and Southern Asia: Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022
- Best Airline Staff Service in India and Southern Asia: Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022
- Best Cabin Crew in India and Southern Asia: Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022
- Best Business Class in India and Southern Asia: Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022
- Best Domestic Airline: Travel + Leisure India’s Best Awards 2022
- Favourite Domestic Airline: Conde Nast Travellers Readers’ Travel Awards 2022
- Asia’s 3rd Youngest Aircraft Fleet: Ch-Aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2022 & 2023
- Ranked amongst Asia-Pacific’s top 10 airlines for Best On-Time Performance On-Time Performance Review 2021 by Cirium
- Best Overall Airline 2022: Regional Passenger Choice Awards by APEX
- Best Domestic Airline: Wings India 2022 – Ministry of Civil Aviation (Govt. of India), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)
- Ranked amongst Best Organisations for Women 2022: The Economic Times Best Organisations for Women 2022
- CSR Excellence Award for Vistara Wellness Initiative: CSR Journal Excellence Awards
Vistara is on course to induct more than 20 new aircraft, a mix of narrow-body and wide-body, by 2023, taking the total count to over 70 aircraft, moving forward in its vision of becoming a global airline of choice.
