Vistara cancels flights as airline struggles with crew shortage
Airline to deploy larger planes, combine some domestic flights
New Delhi: Indian airline Vistara, co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd., has cancelled a raft of flights as it struggles with a crew shortage.
"We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons including crew unavailability," the company said in a statement. The airline will deploy larger aircraft, like Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner and Airbus SE's A321neo, on some domestic routes as it combines flights, it said.
Vistara expects to return to its regular capacity soon and is offering alternate flights or refunds to travelers affected by cancellations and delays. The airline had the worst on-time performance among all domestic carriers on Monday, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Pilots at Vistara aren't reporting for duty after their salaries were revised to match staff at Air India Ltd., local media outlet CNBC-TV18 reported Monday, citing sources it didn't identify. The new structure would see Vistara pilots' guaranteed pay cut to 40 flying hours from 70 hours, the report said.
The carrier is in the process of merging with Tata's Air India in a deal that is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Singapore Airlines will hold a 25.1 per cent stake in the enlarged airline after an investment of $250 million and the city-state's antitrust regulator last month granted conditional approval for the merger.
Vistara operates more than 300 flights a day and has a fleet of 67 aircraft, mainly from the A320 family, as well as six 787 Dreamliner jets.