India’s only full-service carrier, Vistara has received the delivery of Airbus A321neo. This aircraft was in the order by Vistara of 50 Airbus A320 back in 2018. With the delivery of Airbus A321neo, Vistara has become the first airline, South Asia, to provide flat beds on a narrow-bodied aircraft. The Airbus A321 is a stretched version of A320. The A320s are very popular passenger aircraft throughout the world and are used by many airlines. With the delivery of Airbus A321neo, it looks like the full-service carrier is planning to expand its international operations.
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Vistara’s Airbus A321neo Good for Medium-Haul Flights
The Airbus A321neo not the best for long-haul flights. They are not wide-body aircraft, along with that they have a flying time of 7 hours. So these planes are a good option for medium-haul flights to international destinations nearby India.
Vistara also received a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner earlier this year. The airline has used the aircraft in domestic routes already. It is the first wide-body aircraft of the airline and is perfect for long-haul flights.
With the addition of Airbus A321neo and Boeing 787-9, Vistara now has the capability of flying both long haul flights and medium-haul flights to international destinations. This puts the airline in a very good position for expanding international operations.
On a similar note, SpiceJet has been expanding its international operations as well. SpiceJet has been designated as the ‘Indian Scheduled Carrier’ for flights to the US and the UK. But unfortunately, it is not the same case for Vistara as of now.
To look back, it has not even been a complete year since the time Vistara launched its international operations. The first international flight operated by Vistara was on August 6, 2019. It flew to Singapore from Delhi. For flights to Singapore, Vistara was using Boeing 737-800NG which has two cabins — economy and business. Boeing 737-800NG is yet another aircraft which is suitable for short-haul or medium-haul flights.