CEO of India's Vistara confident about anti-trust concerns

The CEO of Vistara is confident that the airline can satisfactorily address anti-trust issues raised by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and that its merger with Air India remains on track to finalise in April 2024. CEO Vinod Kannan confirmed to media in Mumbai on July 17 that the CCI had sought additional information in June, issuing a show-cause notice and giving the parties 30 days to respond. "There are certain questions that have been asked," said Kannan. "We are going to give our response to the CCI by the end of this month. Then, the CCI will decide whether it needs to go to phase two or needs further clarification." If Vistara and Air India fail to address the CCI's concerns adequately, the competition watchdog may proceed to a more detailed phase 2 investigation. However, less than 5% of merger applications require that kind of scrutiny. "The merger with Air India is on track," added Kannan. "We are on track to receive regulatory approvals from the CCI, and the National Company Law Tribunal, among others... We hope and expect the approvals to come by March or April of next year. The closure of the air operator's certificate will come last."<br/>