The plan to put the flights on hold comes at a time when US continues to ban nationals flying in from India. There are, however, exceptions for US citizens and their families, legal permanent residents, and students
Vistara, the TATA-SIA full service airline, has delayed its flights to the US from India. Readers may remember that Pravasi Samvad had carried a story saying that Vistara would start its flights to the US in some time. However, with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) not approving Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner – in fact, deliveries by the US aircraft manufacturer have been stopped — Vistara’s plan has been shelved from its September 2021 date (the wide-body 787 is capable of flying directly to long-haul destinations like the US). This is unwelcome news for the Indian Diaspora in the US. This, despite the fact that Vistara received permission from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to start India-US flights.
The plan to put the flights on hold comes at a time when US continues to ban nationals flying in from India. There are, however, exceptions for US citizens and their families, legal permanent residents, and students.
The Mint quoted Vinod Kannan, Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer saying that the carrier would have to wait for more 787 planes to start US operations since its present two Dreamliners were being used on international and domestic routes. Kannan emphasized: “We have received approvals for US flights. But we will have to see when we can receive the third aircraft, and only after that can we do a more comprehensive kind of expansion plan.” He went on to point out that the two Dreamliners were being used for “London, Tokyo, Frankfurt flights, and occasional domestic and charters”. Vistara, incidentally, has firm orders for six Dreamliners, with options for four more. It is the only wide-body plane in the airline’s fleet capable of flying directly to long-haul destinations like the US.
Vistara will be using its Boeing 787-9s for flights to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Washington D.C from its hubs in Delhi or Mumbai. Also, it can leverage its partnership with United with which it has a codeshare relationship that provides the US carrier additional connectivity within India. The two airlines can expand their partnership to include more of United’s network once Vistara starts flights to the US.
Vistara brings together Tata’s and SIA’s legendary hospitality and renowned service excellence to offer the finest full-service flying experience. It is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and Tripadvisor, and has also been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards
According to The Wall Street Journal, Dreamliners will start being delivered from late October. That is because Boeing has not been able to get air-safety regulators to approve inspection of the aircraft. Way back in July, the FAA had said that some 787s awaiting delivery had a new manufacturing quality issue that Boeing needed to set right before handing over the planes to airlines. Boeing has been talking to the FAA about the issue.
The foreign carrier permit from DOT was received by Vistara on August 25 although it had got a tentative approval in the beginning of June this year. Vistara had first applied for DOT’s permission to operate US flights at the end of April. The formal permit will allow Vistara to operate scheduled commercial flights between the US and India, to ferry passengers, goods and mail. In addition, the carrier will be able to fly cargo and charter flights between the US and India. Additionally, the flights will provide Vistara the opportunity to showcase its product and gain a hold in the competitive India-US market.
Vistara brings together Tata’s and SIA’s legendary hospitality and renowned service excellence to offer the finest full-service flying experience. It is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and Tripadvisor, and has also been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards. In a short span of six years since starting operations, Vistara has raised the bar for operations and service delivery in the Indian aviation industry by offering the world-class flying experience to travellers.
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