NEW DELHI: India’s newest airline announced Monday it would start flying next month and was “enthusiastic” about the future, even as rival carriers bleed red ink.
The new airline, called Vistara — a Sanskrit word meaning “limitless expanse” — will make its first flight on January 9.
The airline is 49-percent-owned by Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s top-rated carriers. Mumbai-based Tata conglomerate, one of India’s best-respected brands, controls 51 percent.
“We’re enthusiastic. There are no doubt challenges, but we believe in the immense potential of the Indian aviation market,” Vistara chief executive Phee Teik Yeoh told reporters.
The 46-year-old former senior executive of Singapore Airlines, added he had felt like “breaking into song” ever since Vistara cleared the final hurdle to start flying, obtaining its Air Operators Permit from the government earlier this month in India’s highly regulated market.
While airline analysts say India’s aviation future belongs to low-cost carriers, Yeoh said there was also room for full-service airlines.
“We’re here to redefine the flying experience” and “create a demand for a kind of personalized travel” that doesn’t exist, he said, referring to the “massification” of the Indian travel market.
Vistara will operate the 148-seater Airbus A320-200 with 16 seats in business class, 36 in premium economy and 96 in economy.
Once it takes off, Vistara will be the third full-service carrier after state-run Air India and Jet Airways, which are both making chronic losses.
The new carrier will start with Delhi-Mumbai flights and then include the western city of Ahmedabad. It will add routes as its current two-plane Airbus fleet grows.
The carrier expects to have five planes in a month and 20 Airbus planes within four years.
The launch comes after the debt-laden no-frills airline SpiceJet was grounded briefly last week for failing to pay fuel bills.
India’s air passenger market has expanded at breakneck speed but many airlines are laden with debt and beset by cut-throat fare wars, high fuel taxes and shoddy infrastructure.
IndiGo, India’s largest passenger carrier, is a budget operation and the sole one among the country’s four biggest airlines consistently to report profits.
Kingfisher, a full-service airline owned by liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, was grounded by huge losses in 2012.
Tata also holds a stake in an Indian low-cost carrier which started flying in June, operated by Asia’s biggest-budget airline AirAsia.
The previous Congress government began allowing foreign airlines to buy up to 49 percent stakes in Indian carriers in 2012.
New India airline to start flying as others lose money
New India airline to start flying as others lose money
Saudia Cargo partners with exports body to boost Kingdom’s products globally
RIYADH: Saudia Cargo and the Saudi Export Development Authority inked a strategic memorandum of understanding, in a move set to accelerate the international reach of non-oil goods.
The agreement, signed during the “Made in Saudi 2025” exhibition in Riyadh, aims to empower local industries and enhance the global competitiveness of national products.
This deal directly supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy by growing non-oil exports, building a strong industrial base, and leveraging the nation’s geographic position to become an international logistics hub.
According to a press release, the partnership focuses on a shared commitment to strengthen the “Saudi Made” program, ensuring local products become a preferred choice in international markets.
Key areas of collaboration include supporting exporters, overcoming logistical and regulatory hurdles, facilitating export operations, building capacities, and developing innovative shipping solutions.
“The MoU also includes coordinating external participation in international exhibitions, collaborating on launching joint marketing and promotional campaigns, and opening new horizons for national products to be present in global markets,” the press release said.
This initiative extends Saudia Cargo’s ongoing efforts, including its “BEYOND” campaign launched earlier this year, to promote exports in line with national economic goals.
Saudia Cargo is a leading national carrier, operating a network spanning approximately 100 airport destinations and 250 customer bases across four continents.
With a modern fleet and a strategic alliance with SkyTeam Cargo, the company is well-positioned to support the rapid and secure transport of diverse goods, including e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, and perishables.
Saudi Exports is a government authority dedicated to developing non-oil exports by enhancing the competitiveness of the Kingdom’s exporters and removing barriers to international trade.
The Made in Saudi 2025 exhibition, held from Dec. 15 to 17, served as a platform for forging industrial and commercial partnerships, attracting investments, and exploring new export opportunities.
