Tough operating conditions not to impact international foray: Vistara
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Full service carrier Vistara on Saturday said that the tough operating conditions -- high jet fuel prices along with a weak rupee -- will not impact plans to launch international operations slated for the end of 2018.
According to the airline's Chief Executive Leslie Thng, the airline plans to reduce expenditure by inducting technology enabled solutions in the non-safety, services or customer facing aspects of its operations.
Further, the company plans to re-negotiate contracts, once it expands operations and inducts more aircraft.
Currently, the domestic airline industry is under pressure from high fuel prices, weak rupee and low air fares.
The company official spoke to reporters at an event held here to unveil the airline's 22nd aircraft, an Airbus A320neo with a "retro-livery" (paint scheme) which is the first of its kind in India
"The livery recreates the one used in the 1940s by Tata Air Lines, India's very first airline that was founded by J.R.D. Tata, and the aircraft also bears the registration VT-ATV that was originally used by a Tata Air Lines DC-3 aircraft," the airline said in a statement.
"This striking retro-livery is also a celebration of 150 years of the Tata group, and it reclaims for Vistara the space once held by the pioneers of aviation in India...."
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
