Vistara to operate its farewell flight on November 11 before merging into Air India

Following this date, passengers will no longer be able to book tickets with Vistara for travel on or after November 12 as Air India will take over all Vistara aircraft, and reservations for these flights will be transferred to Air India’s website.

Air passengers are facing a unique window of opportunity as Vistara and Tata Group-owned Air India have been preparing for their much-anticipated merger.

In an official statement, Vistara said, “Starting September 3, 2024, customers will, progressively, no longer be able to make bookings with Vistara for travel on or after November 12, 2024.”

“All Vistara aircraft thereafter will be operated by Air India and bookings for the routes operated by these aircraft will be redirected to Air India’s website. Vistara will continue to take bookings and operate flights as usual till November 11, 2024,” the airline further stated.

The Indian government has recently removed the final roadblock to the merger of Air India and Vistara by authorising a $276 million investment from Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) into the newly merged airline, as per reports.

Expressing gratitude for the customer support over the past 10 years, Vistara’s Chief Executive Vinod Kannan said, “As we progress further in our growth journey, we want to emphasize that this merger is about offering them more choice with a larger fleet and a wider network, while elevating the overall travel experience."

"Vistara and Air India are committed to ensuring that this transition is smooth and hassle-free. We are excited about this new phase in our journey and look forward to welcoming our customers again soon — as Air India,” Kannan added.

After the merger, Vistara's frequent flyer programme, Club Vistara, will be phased out and merged with Air India’s Flying Returns programme.

Club Vistara will maintain its usual operations until the transition is complete, according to reports.

After the merger, SIA will hold a 25.1 percent stake in the newly combined Air India, investing over Rs 2,000 crore.

SIA also announced that it will keep customers informed with regular updates through the Vistara and Air India websites, social media channels, and email as the merger progresses.

In June, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger following conditional approval from Singapore's competition regulator, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS), in March.

The Competition Commission of India also approved the deal in September 2023, contingent on specific conditions.