Maharaja is something we want to be part of Air India’s future, the CEO said
New Delhi:
Air India chief Campbell Wilson said on Monday that after the Vistara merger, the full-service airline will become known as Air India, which is much more widely known outside the country as the group works to become a major international aviation player.
While the resulting full-service airline will be known as Air India, Wilson stressed efforts will be made to preserve some of the “Vistara legacy in that new manifestation.”
Since acquiring loss-making Air India last January, Tata Group has been working to transform the airline group, announcing that Vistara will be merged into itself, while AIX Connect, formerly known as AirAsia India, will be integrated with Air India Express .
“The intention is to have one full-service airline and one low-cost airline in the group. The full-service airline will be an amalgamation of Air India and Vistara,” said Wilson.
During a virtual media interaction, the CEO and MD of Air India also said that there is a desire to continue the legacy of both Air India and Vistara, and the form is being worked on.
“Vistara has very strong recognition in the Indian market, but if you look outside the Indian market, Air India is clearly much more recognized and has a 90-year history… the future full-service airline will be called Air India, but we would like to preserve and celebrate some of the Vistara heritage in that new manifestation,” said Wilson.
Regarding Vistara’s merger with Air India, Wilson said on Monday that it is in the process of obtaining clearance from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
“We are also working with some external parties on the opportunities in an integrated company, the things we need to focus on in the integration process…,” he added.
On November 29 last year, Tata Group announced the merger of Vistara with Air India under a deal whereby Singapore Airlines will also acquire a 25.1 percent stake in Air India.
The deal, which will make Air India the largest international carrier and the country’s second largest domestic carrier, is expected to close in March 2024, subject to regulatory approval.
Currently, the Tata group owns a 51 percent stake in Vistara and the rest is with Singapore Airlines.
On another question, the Air India chief said that the Maharaja brand is something it would like to keep. “… (Maharaja is) something that we want to be part of Air India’s future… It is much loved… It will be part of our future”.
“We see that Air India has huge potential and we see that Air India can provide huge opportunities for professionals to fulfill their ambitions,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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