Vistara-Air India Merger: What Passengers Need to Know as the Integration Nears Completion

Vistara-Air India Merger: What Passengers Need to Know as the Integration Nears Completion

As the long-anticipated merger of Vistara with Air India draws to an end, passengers are being asked to pay attention to some important dates and changes. According to Vistara, the company shall be accepting ticket bookings only until September 3 for flights operating up to November 11, 2024. Beyond that date, all flights and operations will be fully integrated into Air India.

With the completion of the merger, effective immediately from November 12, 2024, Vistara shall operate all flights under the brand name of Air India. The fleet operated by Vistara would be smoothly integrated into the operations of Air India, while the booking of its existing routes would be migrated to Air India’s website. Vistara ends its tenure as a separate entity after ten successful years in the aviation sky.

The deal gained significantly after the Indian government approved the foreign direct investment by Singapore Airlines in Air India. Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd. will have 73.38% of the combined entity, while the stake of Singapore Airlines remains at 25.1%. The approval is a major milestone and signals the last leg of the deal completion process.

Vinod Kannan, chief executive officer of Vistara, on behalf of the airline’s loyal customers, said that this merger seeks to offer travelers more options, a bigger fleet, and an expanded network- all while improving the overall experience of travel. Both Vistara and Air India will continue to update customers about the transition through their websites and social media besides email updates. All these will concern information on web check-in, lounge access, ancillary services, among others, that ensure a seamless and smooth transition.

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The approval for the merger from the NCLT came on June 6 with a nine-month lead time for dissolving Vistara. In the intervening period, Vistara’s flying license issued by the DGCA would be current up to December 2024. This merger also received clearance from the CCI in September 2023, subject to certain conditions.

Both airlines remain committed to making this merger as smooth as possible and are ensuring that such passengers shall continue to receive the same service.