With an eye on international operations, Vistara purchased 19 jets from Airbus and Boeing worth $1.3 billion on Wednesday.
The airlines, a joint-venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has ordered 13 Airbus SE A320neos and six Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets to its growing fleet. It also announced plans to purchase rights over five more 787-9s, options over seven more A320neos and would procure another 37 A320neos from leasing companies.
The deal will see the flights added to the fleet over a period of four years - from 2019 to 2023. Once the purchases are completed, Vistara will have a fleet of 50 jets.
Vistara's current fleet comprises 21 aircraft - 13 Airbus A320ceo and eight A320 neo. It uses them to serve 22 destinations in India with over 800 flights a week.
The Airbus neos will be inducted by 2023 mainly for domestic routes, while the Boeing Dreamliners will arrive by 2021 and be part of medium and long-haul international flights, which the company plans to begin by the end of the year.
"India's position as the world's fastest growing domestic aviation market and its impressive growth in air passenger traffic that has more than doubled over the last decade, makes us confident of our aggressive plans for domestic expansion and international foray. These orders are a landmark step in Vistara's journey and demonstrate our deep-rooted commitment to contributing to the rise of the Indian aviation industry and to offering more choices to our customers," says Vistara CEO Leslie Thng.
The latest deal cements Boeing's position as the main source for wide-body aircraft in India, but European firm Airbus is still the leader in terms of sheer volume.
In April, Vistara had added the 20th aircraft to its fleet, allowing it to begin international operations as per the government's 0/20 rule.
[With inputs from Reuters]
