Singapore Air picks crucial fight against Emirates in India

Singapore Airlines just picked a fight with Emirates in a grab for India’s international travellers, and a slice of one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. Singapore Air’s unprofitable Indian venture Vistara completed its first overseas flight -- between New Delhi and Singapore -- on Wednesday. It’s the start of an uphill battle against Middle East airline giants, led by Emirates and Etihad, that dominate India’s offshore routes. For Singapore Air, ambushed all over Southeast Asia by budget airlines, the prize is clear. The number of passengers in India will more than triple to 520m by 2037, the IATA says. And of the 63m people that flew to and from the country last year, two thirds were carried by foreign airlines. Vistara, 49% owned by Singapore Air and 51% by Indian conglomerate Tata Group, started out in January 2015. India doesn’t allow foreign airlines to fly between local airports, unless they partner with a local company to start a domestic airline. The carrier operates 30 Airbus and Boeing jets and has a local market share of 5%, the smallest among six major players. It also plans to fly to Dubai and Bangkok. According to the CAPA Centre for Aviation, Vistara could break even in the year ending March 2020. Vistara is a key element of Singapore Airlines’ multi-hub strategy, and the launch of international operations offers additional opportunities to it, a spokesman for the Southeast Asian carrier said. <br/>