We have selected Vistara as our Airline of the week as a special appreciation of their efforts at safety.
In an effort to maintain the highest safety standards Vistara deployed the RFIDAeroCheck technology on its entire Boeing and Airbus fleet. This technology will track the presence and expiration of emergency equipment on the aircraft. Vistara partnered with Aerospace Software Development (ASD) and launched this technology across its fleet becoming the first airline to deploy this RFIDAeroCheck technology in India. We have selected Vistara as our Airline of the week as a special appreciation of their efforts at safety.
About Vistara
Vistara is one of India’s finest full-service airlines operating in India with a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited. Vistara is often lauded for its cabin cleanliness and safety standards. Just recently Vistara won three prestigious awards at the Wings India 2022 event. The awards were for Best Domestic Airline, Aviation Sustainability & Environment, and Covid Champions presented by the Civil Aviation Minister of India, Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia.
On receiving the award, Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara said, “We are delighted to have received these coveted awards at Wings India 2022. They are a testament to the relentless efforts of all our staff, who ensured a seamless and comfortable travel experience for our customers, despite a challenging operating environment in the last two years. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our customers for placing their trust in us and the jury of Wings India 2022 for recognizing our efforts.”
Vistara brings together Tata’s and SIA’s legendary hospitality and renowned service excellence to offer the finest full-service flying experience in India.
Vistara @RFIDAeroCheck
In yet another industry-first by Vistara, the RFIDAeroCheck technology enables efficient management of all life-limited components, ensuring their presence on the aircraft as well as tracking expiry dates. This is done by storing information related to tracked components within a server-wide application database including information on defined equipment types, aircraft locations, and configurations as well as information on various parts. Using the latest ATA Spec2000 and GS1 standards, RFIDAeroCheck is fully compliant with industry standards.
Mr. SK Dash, Senior Vice President – Engineering, Vistara, said “Ensuring the safety of our customers and employees is the topmost priority at Vistara and we are committed to investing in technologies that aid our growth plans and enhance our safety framework. We are pleased to partner with Aerospace Software Development (ASD) for the deployment of RFIDAeroCheck which provides a quick and accurate integration of our maintenance processes, giving us the required commercial and operational flexibility across our fleet. We are also proud to be the first Indian airline to introduce this cutting-edge technology to the Indian aviation sector – another step in our digital transformation journey.”
Mr. Dave Browne, Managing Director, Aerospace Software Development, said “We are delighted that Vistara selected ASD as their RFID partner and we are very proud to have Vistara as our first airline customer in India. Working in partnership with Vistara, we have implemented the RFIDAeroCheck solution on time and on budget. The successful implementation of RFIDAeroCheck at Vistara will lead to tracking of all emergency equipment on aircraft in a fraction of the time currently required and with significant financial savings.”
With the RFIDAeroCheck, aircraft scans can be completed within minutes, ensuring accurate data and timely information regarding upcoming requirements. For instance, an RFID maintenance scan on a Boeing 787 aircraft (with 288 life vests on board) can be completed in less than a minute by simply walking down the aisle. An O2 Generator presence and expiry check which takes 4 man-hours on an average (usually 2 mechanics spending 2 hours each) can be completed in 30 seconds.
The youngest fleet in Asia
Vistara has a strong commitment to reducing the impact on the environment which has led to strategic investments in advanced engineering systems and a modern fleet that has also been recognized as one of the youngest in Asia. They have a fleet of 49 aircraft, including 38 Airbus A320, four Airbus A321neo, five Boeing 737-800NG, and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, and have flown more than 30 million customers since starting operations on January 9, 2015. Vistara started flying with an aim to set new standards in the aviation industry in India and never looked back. Their world-class travel experience and safety standards have been widely appreciated by customers since its inception.
Vistara and pandemic
Vistara also took several initiatives to ensure it made an impact across multiple stakeholder groups including employees, customers, and communities in its efforts against COVID-19. In line with government guidelines, the airline altered many processes, introduced various technology interventions to maintain the highest safety and hygiene standards across all touchpoints in the customer journey. Vistara also introduced two award-winning campaigns, #FlyingFeelsSafeAgain and #FlyerCODE, that were devised to generate awareness and influence positive behavioral changes in travelers, for a comfortable and safer air travel experience.
During the devastating second wave of the pandemic, Vistara activated its ‘National Relief Program’ and offered complimentary air logistics for transportation of medical equipment across the network. It also welcomed health workers from government organizations to travel free of cost on its domestic network, when traveling on COVID-19 duty. Vistara extended all-around support to its employees to ensure their well-being throughout the pandemic. Besides offering medical support, the airline took systematic steps and managed to get almost all its employees fully vaccinated against the virus. It is also the first Indian airline to have operated flights with fully vaccinated cabin crew and pilots. Under its signature CSR project ‘Vistara Wellness Initiative’, the airline donated over 200,000 wellness essentials (nutritious food and hygiene items) to communities impacting the lives of nearly 34,000 individuals across the country.
They also recently resumed certain services that were halted temporarily due to the pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, Vistara had taken several measures including altering several processes, truncating many inflight services, intensifying sanitization efforts, etc. to maintain the highest safety and hygiene standards. The airline also, through consistent efforts, managed to get almost 100% of its staff fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Now they plan not only to restore pre-COVID standards of customer experience but to exceed in the coming months.
Mr. Deepak Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “Safety of our customers and staff has been our topmost priority, and takes precedence over all other considerations. As the world inches closer to normalcy now, we are delighted to bring back some of the services that were discontinued in view of customer safety. Vistara is committed to providing a world-class flying experience, backed by the continued support of our parent companies, Tata group and Singapore Airlines. While we are restoring our services progressively and systematically, we will also be introducing new enhancements at various customer touchpoints.”
Seven years and counting
Vistara recently celebrated its seventh anniversary on 9th January 2022 and announced key milestones of having flown 30 million passengers since inception and 50 aircraft-strong fleet.
Growth story
Even as Vistara navigated the aviation industry’s worst-ever crisis, COVID-19, it continued to grow in a measured way towards its vision and long-term plans. The airline registered a growth of 3.3 percentage points in market share, since July 2020, having grown from 4.2% (in July 2020) to 7.5% (in November 2021). Vistara expanded its fleet by over 25% since April 2020, to have 51 aircraft in its fleet as on date, and has significantly grown its global network to include seven new destinations across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The airline also ensured that all 4000+ jobs at Vistara remained protected from the impact of the pandemic.
Some of the awards and accolades won by Vistara
Best Airline in India & Southern Asia by World Airline Awards by Skytrax 2021
Best Airline Staff in India & Southern Asia by World Airline Awards by Skytrax 2021
Best Cabin Crew in India & Southern Asia by World Airline Awards by Skytrax 2021
Highest rank in India for Cabin Cleanliness by World Airline Awards by Skytrax 2021
Favourite Domestic Airline by Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2020 & 2021
Best Domestic Airline (India) by Travel + Leisure India’s Best Awards 2020 & 2021
Five Star Major Airlines in the World by APEX Official Airlines Ratings 2020
Best Airline – India by Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2020
Travellers Choice Regional Airline, Asia by Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice® Awards 2020
Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on operator rating websites like Skytrax and Tripadvisor.
