Vistara taps GSA for possible Gulf expansion
Indian airline Vistara has tapped Sharaf Travels as general sales agent for West Asia and the Gulf, despite the Indian government undecided on repealing a law which restricts new airlines from launching international routes.
"Vistara is thrilled to have Sharaf Travels as our partner to lead our sales and servicing activities in West Asia," said Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh.
The current ‘5/20’ rule restricts airlines from flying overseas until they have been established for five years and have a minimum fleet size of 20 aircraft.
Vistara and fellow recent startup Air Asia India have been lobbying the government to scrap the current rule while established airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir want to see the status quo continue.
"The 5/20 rule will be re-addressed with certain changes or a new norm," minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma recently said.
Proposals in a new draft aviation policy have been put forward for a complicated domestic flying credits (DFC) system whereby airlines could start flying overseas once they have accrued sufficient credits from their domestic operations.
The draft policy also includes a proposal for a 2% surcharge on all air tickets which would go toward funding regular flight service to remote destinations within India.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025