The full-service carrier Vistara distributed more than one lakh nutrition and sanitisation items to local communities across India. The initiative was a part of Vistara’s Wellness program, under which it observed ‘National Nutrition Month’ in September 2020. As a part of the program, Vistara distributed around 1000 wellness kits comprising of dry ration and sanitization items suitable for a family of four across geographies like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Raipur, Leh, Srinagar, etc.
Vistara Wellness: Collective effort of Vistara workforce and NGOs
Vistara collaborated with a few NGO partners, including Robin Hood Army to manage the distribution aspects of the initiative. ‘Vistara Wellness Initiative’ is built on a collective effort from Vistara’s workforce. The aim is to assist people from vulnerable communities who bear the severe grunt of COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a conscientious corporate citizen with community service deep-rooted in our organization’s ethos, this ongoing initiative is our sincere effort in providing aid in whichever way possible,” said Rashmi Soni, Vice-president & Head of Corporate Communications and CSR, Vistara.
The first program under ‘Vistara Wellness Initiative’ was rolled out in April 2020. The airline collaborated with Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) to distribute over 50,000 long shelf-life nutritious food items to the health workers.
Responding to the effect of the pandemic on Vistara, Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, said that there is a consistent return of demand from the passengers within the first few weeks of resumption of domestic air travel. He assured that the airline is sufficiently funded and the parent companies are committed to Vistara and its growth strategies. Vistara has customized its Business Continuity Plan to deal with the challenges raised by COVID-19.
“To steer through the difficult times, we have been pursuing several measures to reduce non-customer facing operating expenses. We're making every effort to conserve cash wherever possible,” CEO said.
Vistara is a joint venture of Tata Group and Singapore Airlines. While Tata Group owns 51% of the stake in Vistara, Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) owns the remaining 49%. The premium carrier has a fleet of 44 aircraft, primarily 34 Airbus A320, two Airbus A321neo, six Boeing 737-800NG, and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. According to Vistara, it has flown more than 20 million customers since the start of operations. Before pandemic, Vistara was operating 200 flights to 34 destinations every day.
