NEW DELHI: “The worst is behind us and we have stabilised our operations,” said Vinod Kannan, CEO of Vistara on Thursday which at the start of this month saw severe flight disruptions due to reasons like its inhumane rostering that pilots protested by reporting sick en masse. In an internal newsletter to employees, Kannan admitted the pilots’ genuine grouse by saying: “(Reasons for disruptions included) ATC delays, bird hits, and maintenance activities… We were stretched in our pilot rosters and there was not enough resilience to withstand injects that we would otherwise have weathered.We could and should have planned better. This has been a learning experience for us which we will review thoroughly.”
Unlike the merger of low cost AIX Connect (erstwhile AirAsia India) into Air India Express that is going on smoothly as the former’s employees realise this is the only way to survive, there is tremendous heartburn among staffers over the impending integration of full service Vistara into AI. While Vistara, which started flying in January 2015, has lost money in a vast majority of its existence, it created a niche among flyers as the finest contemporary desi full service carrier. In recent years, erstwhile Jet Airways’ (which stopped flying in 2019) wide body product was the best full service experience for flyers among Indian carriers.
As incharge of the Tata Group full service carriers’ integration, Kannan has to allay concerns of Vistara employees and ensure the merger happens by the end of the year in as smooth and painless a manner as possible. The troubles seen in Vistara earlier this month have shown the same is not going to be an easy task in the landmine of airline M&As in India where erstwhile AI-Indian Airlines; Jet-Sahara and Kingfisher-Deccan mergers were disasters.
While thanking staff, especially the extremely unhappy pilots, for stabilising operations now, Kannan said in the newsletter: “We (as Vistara) have worked hard over the last decade to become and remain (India’s) most loved airline. While events of the last week may seem like a setback, we have bounced back from tough situations and emerged stronger… I trust each of you to continue to put in all efforts to ensure that we do not let our brand, and our customer, down.”
Vistara has reduced its operations by 10% or 25-30 flights daily, mostly domestic, to ensure a more humane pilot rostering — and avoid “large scale disruptions” — in its remaining time as a standalone airline. Vistara pilots are facing pay cuts as they merge into AI. While that is something the sunset brand’s management may not be able to do anything about, it is trying ot tackle the rostering woes.
Unlike the merger of low cost AIX Connect (erstwhile AirAsia India) into Air India Express that is going on smoothly as the former’s employees realise this is the only way to survive, there is tremendous heartburn among staffers over the impending integration of full service Vistara into AI. While Vistara, which started flying in January 2015, has lost money in a vast majority of its existence, it created a niche among flyers as the finest contemporary desi full service carrier. In recent years, erstwhile Jet Airways’ (which stopped flying in 2019) wide body product was the best full service experience for flyers among Indian carriers.
As incharge of the Tata Group full service carriers’ integration, Kannan has to allay concerns of Vistara employees and ensure the merger happens by the end of the year in as smooth and painless a manner as possible. The troubles seen in Vistara earlier this month have shown the same is not going to be an easy task in the landmine of airline M&As in India where erstwhile AI-Indian Airlines; Jet-Sahara and Kingfisher-Deccan mergers were disasters.
While thanking staff, especially the extremely unhappy pilots, for stabilising operations now, Kannan said in the newsletter: “We (as Vistara) have worked hard over the last decade to become and remain (India’s) most loved airline. While events of the last week may seem like a setback, we have bounced back from tough situations and emerged stronger… I trust each of you to continue to put in all efforts to ensure that we do not let our brand, and our customer, down.”
Vistara has reduced its operations by 10% or 25-30 flights daily, mostly domestic, to ensure a more humane pilot rostering — and avoid “large scale disruptions” — in its remaining time as a standalone airline. Vistara pilots are facing pay cuts as they merge into AI. While that is something the sunset brand’s management may not be able to do anything about, it is trying ot tackle the rostering woes.