Vistara planning to launch first international routes this year
India full service airline Vistara plans to kick off international operations later this year with routes to the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
It aims to begin flying overseas in the second half of 2018 but has not unveiled any specific details.
Vistara takes delivery of its 20th A320 aircraft in March which triggers its ability to start flying internationally.
Under Indian aviation rules, a domestic carrier must have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft before it can apply to operate international services.
Referring to its international plans, Vistara CEO Leslie Thng said: "We need to have some time to prepare ourselves with the authorities, then we our looking at the second half of 2018. If all things go on well then we will try to bring it forward if possible."
"If you look at the A320 and their range in terms of where they can fly, we are looking at four to five hours. It is going to be regional in the Gulf, South East Asia. For the initial plan, this is where we are venturing into."
Thng said it plans to expand international operations ‘in a progressive manner’ in include medium haul and long haul routes over time.
Vistara also hopes to grow its domestic route network in tandem with international expansion.
"When we go international we need to beef up our own domestic network because our primary hub will still be in Delhi. To go international, we need to build up connectivity between Delhi and all the different metros and tier 2 and tier 3 cities so that we can provide connectivity both ways," Thng added.
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