With this move, Singapore Airlines now holds a 25.1% stake in the unified Air India, ending Vistara’s standalone operations since its founding in the year 2015.
Vistara was India’s most recent full-service carrier launched within the last decade. Its establishment followed the 2007 merger of Indian Airlines with Air India, joining five other full-service airlines.
However, competitors like Kingfisher (which ceased operations in 2012) and Air Sahara (rebranded as JetLite before shutting down in 2019) also disappeared as time passed.
Ahead of the merger, Air India announced several management changes. Vinod Kannan, Vistara’s CEO, will continue as Chief Integration Officer, supporting the full-service airline consolidation while reporting directly to Campbell Wilson, Air India’s CEO.
Deepak Rajawat, Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer, will become CFO of the expanded Air India Express, reporting to CEO Aloke Singh.
Campbell Wilson highlighted the efforts of Tata’s four airlines over the last two years, working to execute “one of the most complex mergers in aviation history.” He acknowledged the contributions of all staff involved in this consolidation, marking a new chapter for Air India.
During the first month of the Air India Vistara merger, Air India is expecting to serve approximately 1,15,000 passengers who have already booked their flights with Vistara. On the other hand, some 2,70,000 Vistara customers have already been transferred to the system of Air India.
The Loyalty programme transition is still underway with over 4.5 million members of Club Vistara which will now be rebranded as the Maharaja Club.
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