Indian airline Vistara has been waiting for the Ministry of Civil Aviation to approve its request to fly overseas. This month, it has finally got the permission and it will add more destinations to its network.
The full-service carrier had applied for a licence last year after it added its 20th aircraft to the fleet and met all the requirements for international travel. Now, it is announced that Vistara will fly a direct flight to Colombo seven days a week. It recently also announced 16 new daily flights; two new flights to Raipur and Dibrugarh have also been added to its ever-growing network.
This decision comes after much delay. Vistara, a TATA-owned airline, has been running in losses and needs the higher fares from international travel to sustain itself. However, the probe into AirAsia (also owned by TATA) on lobbying and bribery charges had put a roadblock on its way when the airline had applied for an international licence last year in June.
It will be the seventh Indian carrier to fly overseas, after AirIndia, Indigo, Jet Airways, Spicejet, GoAir and Air India Express.
So, are you ready to book your tickets?