Vistara Warns About the Long-Standing Suspension of Scheduled International Flights

As the worst phase of the pandemic fades away and it finally seems like that the operations of the aviation sector look to come back to normalcy, Indian Airline Vistara has said that prolonged suspension of international flights to and from India is hampering the operations of many Indian Airlines. The airlines also added that it is affecting the financial health of these companies and it is too early to think that the aviation sector has completely recovered from the impacts of Covid-19.

The Current Scenario

Vistara, the full-service carrier started flying to 8 international destinations last year during the pandemic and it seems like the airline has embraced a “nimble” approach as the events are unfolding with uncertainty and many countries are now witnessing a surge in the number of infections. CEO of Vistara, Vinod Kannan said that the aviation industry has been proven wrong before about the predictions that are made in these unprecedented times and it is still too early to think that the industry is completely out of the woods. According to a report of PTI, he said that the prolonged suspension of scheduled international operations is definitely impacting the financial health of most airlines, thereby adding to the pressure (on the revenue). However, on the domestic front, the month of November has brought a big sigh of relief for the aviation sector of India as the country witnesses the daily domestic air traffic reach closer to what it was pre-covid. The international flight services on the other hand have been suspended since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020. India currently has an air-bubble agreement with 25 countries where they are operating the flights following the mandated regulations and guidelines. The suspension period is scheduled to end on November 30, but it is expected that it may be continued for a while as there is a spike in the number of cases around the world. Vistara last year, however, started flying to eight destinations which were London Heathrow, Dhaka, Dubai, Doha, Frankfurt, Sharjah, Malé, and Paris. The CEO of Vistara said that the airline has definitely gained momentum in this period in terms of expanding it to new markets around the globe before the scheduled international flights resume again. He said that the airline is on track with its future expansion plans despite the ongoing challenges.