The government made a significant decision for Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines Ltd, by approving the launch of international flights. This will be the fifth Indian carrier to have received the permission from the aviation ministry before the announcement of the election dates.
A spokesperson said that they were closely working with the ministry of civil aviation and the specific details would be shared at an appropriate time.
After meeting a requirement for 20 aircraft in its fleet the airline wanted to launch international flights in 2018.
Daily flights between new Delhi and Colombo will operate daily and as per a source the company had bilateral rights to Sri Lanka and New Delhi slots for flights operating with Airbus A320 aircrafts.
There was an ongoing investigation into Air Asia India on allegations of bribery to secure international flights approval, Vistara received this nod after a long delay.
Finance Minsiter Arun Jaitley led the five Cabinet minister to decide whether Vistara would be granted the permit. However, the authority is usually with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The airline added 20 planes to its fleet and then approached the government to secure an international flights permit.
Aviation consultancy firm CAPA said that when India’s third full-service carrier launched it kept it eyes on the opportunities in the international market. Vistara for more than three years was a solely domestic carrier due to the Indian regulations.
