Vistara launches daily flight service between Mumbai and Dubai

Dubai: Vistara, a joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has launched daily flight service between Dubai and Mumbai.

The inaugural flight to Dubai landed on August 21 (Wednesday) at 6 pm.

The flight departed from Mumbai on Wednesday, August 21 to land in Dubai at approximately 6pm UAE time. The return fares are being offered at an introductory price of Dh912 (Rs17,820).

“The daily flights from Mumbai will depart at 4.25pm to land in Dubai at 6.15 pm. The return flights from Dubai will depart at 7.15 pm to arrive in Mumbai at 12.15am the next day," said chief executive officer, Leslie Thng.

Dubai is Vistara’s second international destination, offering premium economy class travel between India and the UAE.

The airline currently serves 27 destinations with over 1,200 flights a week with a fleet of 30 aircraft.

“Right now we have 30 aircraft in our fleet, of which 23 are Airbus A320 aircraft and Boeing 737 – 800 NG. We have recently placed an order for another 56 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, so we are looking at expanding our fleet of services. Definitely depending on the demand, we will add more flight routes within and outside UAE,” said Thng.

“We have done our feasibility studies and find that there is a huge demand for flights from Dubai to Mumbai. The Indian diaspora in the UAE is huge, we want to tap into this,” he added.

“As for our premium economy service, we found a void in this sector and hence decided to add a flight service with this facility,” said Thng.

Code sharing plans

Vistara currently has a code-share with five airlines - Singapore airlines, Japan Airlines, United Airlines, Silk Air and British Airways. “We are open to code-share partnership with other airlines as we grow”, added Thng.

“As of now, we have narrow bodied aircraft. But we are looking at adding wide bodied aircraft to expand beyond Asia and start long haul operations. We are definitely open to more code-share partnerships.

“For now, we are excited to start our service to Dubai, a city that’s home to several Indians. The Indian diaspora is huge and we want to cater that and more global travellers on this route.”

Last month, Vistara launched its international operations with daily flights to Singapore from Delhi and Mumbai. On August 27, Vistara will start flight services to Bangkok, Thailand.

The airline now connects 27 destinations, operates over 1200 flights a week served by a fleet of 23 Airbus A320 and seven Boeing 737-800NG aircraft, and has flown more than 16 million customers since starting operations in 2015.

New plane orders

Vistara has placed an order with Airbus for 13 aircraft from the A320 neo family and with Boeing for six 787-9 Dreamliner. Together, the deals are valued at $3.1 billion, based on published list prices. Airbus comprises 10 firm-ordered A320neo and A321neo aircraft, as well as options for seven more aircraft from the A320neo family. In addition, Vistara will lease another 37 new A320neo-family aircraft from leasing companies. Together, Vistara will be adding a total of 50 A320neo-family aircraft into its existing fleet.

The airline has also placed an order for six Boeing comprises 787-9 Dreamliner and purchase rights for four more aircraft from the 787 Dreamliner family. The 787-9s are intended for use on medium-haul and long-haul international routes. The additional new aircraft will complement Vistara’s existing fleet of 10 Airbus A320ceo and eight A320neo aircraft.