Vistara (UK, Delhi International) is planning to launch its maiden international services in the second half of 2018, initially serving regional destinations located within two to four hours' range from the carrier's Indian bases, CEO Leslie Thng said during a media briefing on March 8.
According to the reports in the Indian media, the carrier plans to later add destinations located within three to five hours' range, before expanding on a wider scale within two years from the maiden international service.
The carrier's initial destinations could include Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong International, and Singapore, as previously reported. The airline currently operates mainly out of Delhi International.
The medium-haul destinations could include airports in Europe, North East Asia, and South East Asia. Thng has also not ruled out the possibility of eventually launching direct services from India to the United States.
The initial phase of the carrier's international expansion will be based upon Vistara's existing fleet of narrowbody Airbus jets.
"When I talk about starting international operations in the second half of 2018, these will be operated with the aircraft that we have. We will definitely acquire different aircraft types to be able to support the medium haul missions. Which means we are reviewing the future aircraft type for Vistara," Thng said.
Vistara expects to announce a widebody order by the end of 2018.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, the carrier currently operates thirteen A320-200s and six A320-200neos. A further three neos are expected to be delivered by June 2018.
Bloomberg has recently reported that Vistara is in talks with Boeing regarding the acquisition of up to fifty narrow-body jets and ten wide-body aircraft.
