A new airline being set up by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Indian conglomerate Tata Group is to be called Vistara.
The joint venture between the two companies will be based in Delhi and is set to begin operating in October. The planned airline was originally announced in September last year.
Tata SIA Airlines Ltd (TSAL) chairman Prasad Menon called the naming of the new carrier “a momentous day” and vowed that Vistara will “redefine the way we travel in India”.
Vistara will begin services using an Airbus A320-200, which is due to be delivered in September, with plans to increase its fleet to 20 aircraft including A320neos within five years.
Routes have yet to be announced but a proposal document published by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India suggests that Vistara will fly domestically within India from its base at Delhi.
Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Srinagar, Patna and Chandigarh are expected to be among Vistara’s first destinations.
TSAL director Swee Wah Mak, who is also executive vice-president of commercial for Singapore Airlines, said: “From a global investor’s perspective the Indian aviation sector has a lot of potential for growth and I am delighted that SIA now has a fruitful role to play here.
“SIA’s world-renowned tradition of service excellence will contribute to the creation of the finest flying experience in the Indian skies through Vistara.”
TSAL is 51% owned by Tata with Singapore Airlines holding a minority stake of 49%.