'UK' code to fly into history; Air India-Vistara merger to be reality from Nov 12
New Delhi/ Mumbai, Nov 11: The nearly 10-year-old Vistara is set to bid adieu to the skies as the well-regarded full service carrier will operate its last domestic and international flights as an independent airline late on Monday night.
Vistara flight UK 986 will fly from Mumbai to Delhi and UK 115 will fly from Delhi to Singapore. It will be the last time that the flight code 'UK' will be dotting the firmament and from Tuesday onwards, Vistara flights will have the new code 'AI2XXX'.
Interestingly, when the airline commenced operations on January 9, 2015, it was the other way around as the maiden flight operated from Delhi to Mumbai.
An official on Monday said Vistara's last flights on domestic and international routes are scheduled to be UK 986 and UK 115, respectively. UK 986 is to depart at around 2250 hours from Mumbai to Delhi and UK 115 is to leave Delhi for Singapore at about 2345 hours.
"Thank you for being part of this unforgettable journey and showering us with your #VistaraLove. We will forever cherish these memories. Please follow @airindia for all the latest updates," Vistara said in a post on X.
A joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore, Vistara will be merged with Air India, following which Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in the enlarged entity.
The merger will also mark the second major consolidation wave in the country's fast-growing civil aviation space after 2006-2007. Post Vistara merger -- also Tata Group's second significant airlines integration after AIX Connect was combined with Air India Express in October -- there will be only Air India as a full service Indian carrier.
In 2006-07, Indian Airlines merged with Air India and Air Sahara merged with Jet Airways. During the same period, Air Deccan was amalgamated with Kingfisher Airlines.
With a fleet of 70 planes, Vistara operates around 350 flights daily and various initiatives to integrate the systems, people and other elements of the two full service airlines have been progressing since the announcement of the merger in November 2022.
Fleet & Flights
The enlarged Air India will have a fleet of 208 planes operating on 103 domestic and 71 international routes. It will be flying to 49 domestic and 42 international destinations, according to an official.
More aircraft, including wide-body ones, will be joining the fleet in the coming months.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Friday said the merger will strengthen SIA's multi-hub strategy, allowing it to continue participating directly in India's large and fast-growing aviation market.
In-flight Experience
Last month, Vistara Chairman Bhaskar Bhat said the integrated entity will share the best practices of the two airlines and the livery of Vistara will stay for some time.
Amid concerns in certain quarters on whether Vistara passengers will continue to get the same services as now since Air India, which is in the transformation phase, has been facing various service issues, it has been repeatedly emphasised that "Vistara in-flight experience is not going away" post-merger.
In a message sent to Vistara customers last month, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said they can continue to enjoy the same world-class fleet, exceptional service, and familiar faces under the new code 'AI2XXX'.
"With the merger on the horizon and the changes that come with it, we wanted to assure you that your Vistara in-flight experience is not going away. You can continue to enjoy the same world-class fleet, exceptional service, and familiar faces under the new code AI2XXX," he had said.
Maharaja
Loss-making Air India, under the government ownership, was also known for its iconic 'Maharaja' emblem. Tata Group took back the ownership of the full service airline in January 2022.
Post the merger, the vintage 'Maharaja' will be retained through the frequent flyer programme of the integrated entity.
"The existing members of Club Vistara will be seamlessly transferred to Air India's Flying Returns program. With this merger, Flying Returns will also evolve into an all-new avatar 'Maharaja Club'," Air India said last month.
Investments
SIA will make an additional investment of Rs 3,194.5 crore in Air India post-Vistara merger.
The airline, on Friday, said its consideration for the merger comprises the 49 per cent interest in Vistara and Rs 20,585 million (Rs 2,058.5 crore) in cash in exchange for a 25.1 per cent equity interest in the enlarged Air India.
"SIA's additional capital injection is expected to be Rs 31,945 million (equivalent to SGD 498 million), based on Tata's funding to Air India to date. This will occur after the completion of the merger and within November 2024 through subscription to new Air India shares.
"Future capital injections will be considered based on Air India's requirements and available funding options," it said.
Issues
While most of the elements related to the merger have been addressed in the last nearly two years, there are still some issues that remain. A section of Air India pilots is unhappy that there are different retirement age limits.
At Air India, which was owned by the government since the 1950s and came into the Tata fold in 2022, the retirement age for pilots and other staff is 58 years, whereas at Vistara, which started flying in 2015, it is 60 years.
Also, there are some concerns related to the seniority of pilots at Air India post-merger.
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Have won in people’s court, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on by-poll results
Bengaluru (PTI): Buoyed by the assembly election by-polls, which saw the ruling Congress sweeping in all the three seats, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said he won in the ‘people’s court’.
He gave credit to the guarantee schemes for the party’s victory in the assembly bypolls in Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna.
“You know what Mahatma Gandhi said. He said people’s court is better than the courts. Now people’s court has given me its verdict,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
This victory was significant for the Congress as the BJP and JD(S) formed an alliance, he explained.
“We won from Kalyana Karnataka (Sandur), Kittur Karnataka region (Shiggaon), and old Mysuru region (Channapatna). In all the places we won. So, this is very significant."
“After our government came to power about one and half years ago, the BJP made false allegations on me and my government. They also spread lies about our schemes,” Siddaramaiah said.
The CM is an accused in the MUDA site allotment scam where 14 sites in upmarket of Mysuru was allotted to his wife, Parvathi. After the controversy broke out, Parvathi returned the sites to MUDA.
He also came down heavily on the opposition BJP and JD(S) for their lies and ‘baseless allegations’.
The Chief Minister also took a swipe at JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy for "crying" in public during elections.
“Deve Gowda and his sons cry, but didn’t their heart melt when several women cried in the Prajwal Revanna case in Hassan?” he asked.
Former JD(S) MP and grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Prajwal Revanna is in jail for allegedly sexually assaulting several women and filming them.
