Vistara to scale back operations by 25-30 flights per day, 10% of original capacity

Vistara, the Tata Group airline undergoing a merger with Air India, has announced a strategic decision to scale back its operations by approximately 25-30 flights per day. This reduction, equivalent to about 10% of their previous capacity, aims to restore the airline to the operational level it maintained at the end of February 2024, the airline said in a statement.

In a statement issued by a Vistara spokesperson, the airline emphasized that the cancellations primarily affect its domestic network and have been implemented well in advance to minimize inconvenience to passengers. Moreover, all affected passengers have already been reaccommodated on alternative flights, ensuring minimal disruption to their travel plans.

“We are carefully scaling back our operations by around 25-30 flights per day, i.e. roughly 10% of the capacity we were operating. This will take us back to the same level of flight operations as at the end of February 2024, and provide the much-needed resilience and buffer in the rosters. These cancellations are done mostly in our domestic network and much ahead of time to minimize inconvenience to the customers. Also, all the affected passengers have already been reaccommodated on other flights, as applicable. In line with what we had said earlier, with this all the changes for the month of April 2024 have been done and the situation has already gotten better with our on-time performance improving for the last few days. Looking ahead, we are hopeful of stable operations for the rest of the month and beyond," Vistara Spokesperson said. 

Looking ahead, Vistara is optimistic about achieving stable operations for the remainder of April 2024 and beyond. The airline anticipates that these adjustments will contribute to a smoother operational environment, allowing them to deliver exceptional service to their passengers while maintaining the highest safety standards.

Earlier in the day, Vistara said it is set to reassess its rostering system in response to substantial flight disruptions caused by crew shortages. Vinod Kannan, the airline's chief, revealed in an interview with news agency PTI that despite worries about a new contract leading to pay adjustments, there hasn't been any notable increase in attrition.