Vistara will merge into Air India on Nov 12, 2024 and Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata’s nearly three-decade-old dream of making Air India a world class airline in partnership with (SIA) could soon come true. Govt has approved SIA’s FDI into AI, and the former will have 25.1% stake in the JV by investing £205.9 mn in it.
Customers already booked on Vistara flights after Nov 12 will have their reservations converted to AI flight numbers. “…This will occur in phases during Sept, and customers will be individually informed when this occurs… even though in nearly all cases the aircraft, schedule and operating crew will be unchanged until early 2025,” AI CEO Campbell Wilson said in email to employees.
The merger date was communicated soon after India approved SIA’s FDI. In a statement, SIA, which owned 49% in Vistara, said: “SIA and Tata Sons are firmly committed to supporting the growth and success of AI Group, which post-merger will have a significant presence in all key Indian airline market segments (full service, low-cost, international, and domestic). This merger will reinforce SIA’s multi-hub strategy and underscore its long-standing commitment to India through a direct stake in this large and rapidly growing aviation market,” the statement added.
While welcoming Vistara employees into the AI fold, Wilson urged them and AI staffers to “ensure that our collective customers and colleagues experience the smoothest of transitions.”
