Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture airline Vistara will launch its first flight from Delhi to Mumbai and Ahmedabad on January 9.
Vistara was Monday granted flying permit by aviation regulator DGCA, almost nine months after it applied for the licence.
Vistara currently has two leased Airbus A-320s in its fleet and plans to induct three more by March next year.
The new Delhi-based airline plans to connect Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Jammu and Patna in the first year of its operations.
The airline, in which Tata Sons holds 51 percent stake and Singapore Airlines remaining 49 percent, plans to operate 87 flights in the first year, with five A320s and then scale it up to 301 flights by the fourth year.
Once it takes off, Vistara will be the third full service carrier after state-run Air India and Jet Airways.
Tata Sons had announced forming a joint venture with Singapore Airlines in September 2013 to set up a full service airline, a year after the then Manmohan Singh government allowed investment by foreign airlines in the domestic carriers.
The airline had applied to the DGCA for the permit in April and had planned to launch services by September, which has got delayed.
Vistara has already planned to lease 20 Airbus A320s, including seven fuel-efficient A320 Neos in the next four years.
Industry sources, however, said it would be difficult for the Delhi-based airline to hit the skies after the arrival of winter season, which is known for thick foggy conditions leading to delays and cancellation of flights.
With PTI inputs
