Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture Vistara on Friday inducted the Airbus A321neo into its fleet. The aircraft that flew from Airbus’ assembly line in Hamburg, Germany, boasts of lie-flat beds and wireless connectivity that will allow travellers access to wi-fi onboard and 3G mobile data for SMSes and MMSes. The aircraft feature’s Vistara’s three-class cabin configuration. It has a total of 188 seats – 12 in Business Class , 24 in Premium Economy and 152 in Economy. Vistara customers will enjoy seat-back entertainment with in-seat touchscreen monitors in all three cabins, wireless connectivity through onboard Wi-Fi, and 3G mobile data through GSM and GPRS for SMS and MMS services, pending regulatory approvals. Vistara said in a press statement that it was the first airline in South Asia to offer lie-flat beds on a narrowbody aircraft and one of the few such airlines across the world.
“This new addition to our fleet reinforces our long-term commitment to international expansion plans, despite the challenges of the current times. The new cabin products on our A321neo aircraft truly complement our promise of providing a premium and world-class flying experience to travellers from and to India,” Vistara CEO Leslie Thng was quoted in a press statement. The airline unveiled international operations last year with destinations such as Singapore, Dubai, Colombo, Nepal and Vietnam.
“Going by the features on board, it looks like Vistara will continue to position itself ahead of other carriers in the country in terms of what is being offered to its customers which could also help the airline increase yields on the short to medium haul out of India. The airline will continue to connect the larger hubs around India – like Singapore and Dubai, where there is significant traffic for the destination as well as onwards on code share partners,” Ameya Joshi, founder of aviation analysis website NetworkThoughts told The Hindu.
The airline has a fleet of 41 aircraft including 34 Airbus A320, 06 Boeing B737-800NG and 01 Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
