- | 2:30 pm
Air India-Vistara merger key moment for Indian aviation: Singapore Airlines CEO
Post-merger, Air India operates a fleet of 300 aircraft covering 55 domestic and 48 international destinations, with 312 routes and 8,300 flights per week
The merger of Air India and Vistara marks a pivotal moment for Indian aviation, Singapore Airlines (SIA) chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong said in New Delhi on Monday.
Tata Sons and SIA were celebrating the merger at a symbolic ceremony at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi.
“Working with our valued, long-standing partner Tata Sons, SIA will support the ongoing transformation of the enlarged Air India group, offering our stewardship and expertise where possible,” Goh Choon Phong said.
“We are focused on helping to restore Air India to its leading position in the Indian aviation market, and creating an airline Group that everyone in India can be proud of,” he said, adding that for SIA, “the completion of the merger reinforces our long-standing direct participation in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.”
Ahead of the merger, SIA had held a 49% stake in Vistara, with the rest owned by Tata Sons. After the merger, Tata Sons now holds a 74.9% stake in the combined entity (Air India), while SIA owns a 25.1% stake in the airline.
Consolidating the four airlines–Air India, Air India Express, Vistara, and AirAsia India–within the Air India group to one full-service and one low-cost airline is part of the ongoing, five-year Vihaan.AI transformation program.
This creates an Air India Group with a significant presence across all key segments of the Indian market–domestic, international, full-service, and low-cost operations, the company said.
Post-merger, the Air India group operates a combined fleet of 300 aircraft covering 55 domestic and 48 international destinations, with 312 routes and 8,300 flights per week.
The airline will offer extended worldwide connectivity to over 800 destinations through more than 75 codeshare and interline partners. The collective staff strength stands at over 30,000.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman at Tata Sons, said: “It has been a little over two-and-a-half years since the homecoming of Air India to the Tata group. This week’s merger between Air India and Vistara is an important milestone in our commitment to transform Air India into a world-class global airline.”
“Singapore Airlines continues to be our strategic partner in our aviation journey and we welcome them to Air India,” he added.
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