Singapore Airlines confirms talks with Tata on Vistara-Air India merger
Singapore, Oct 14: Singapore Airlines has confirmed that it is in talks with India's Tata Group over a potential merger of Vistara airline, a joint venture between the two companies, and Air India -- the 100 per cent acquisition of which the Indian conglomerate has recently completed.
The confirmation comes amid Indian media reports that Tata, having completed its acquisition of a 100 per cent stake in Air India, and looking at merging it with Vistara.
Tata has a 51 per cent stake in Vistara, while SIA holds 49 per cent.
"The discussions seek to deepen the existing partnership between SIA and Tata, and may include a potential integration of Vistara and Air India," SIA said in a statement to the Singapore Exchange.
"The discussions are ongoing and no definitive terms have been agreed upon between the parties."
It is unclear what stake, if any, SIA would have if Vistara merged into Air India, or whether fresh funds would be needed for the ailing Air India group, according to a report by The Straits Times.
The SIA statement noted that any deal would need the green light from Singapore's competition watchdog and the authorities in India.
Vistara was established in 2013, giving the SIA group a stake in India's fast-growing aviation sector.
India has strong domestic and international traffic flows, which are tipped to more than double over the next 10 years.
The International Air Transport Association has noted that India will become the third-largest aviation market in the world - including international and domestic traffic - by around 2024.
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in November 2021 that India has already become the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world.
The SIA sees the Vistara stake as an integral part of its multi-hub strategy, giving it access to important sources that complement its strong Singapore hub, said The Straits Times report.
It provides Vistara with operational and management expertise while Tata provides the corporate umbrella and domain knowledge in India.
Vistara's chief executive is Singaporean Vinod Kannan, who has been seconded from SIA.
His predecessor was his colleague Leslie Thng, who has returned to Singapore and is now CEO of Scoot.
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
