Singapore Airline's India venture Vistara eyes direct flights to US

Vistara, an Indian full-service airline owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, is considering starting direct flights to the US as the COVID-19 pandemic increases demand for non-stop travel, a senior executive said on Friday. While the specific timeframe and aircraft requirements are yet to be finalised, Vistara is studying various scenarios for direct flights, said Vinod Kannan, CCO. COVID-19 brought air travel to a grinding halt earlier this year as nations imposed travel bans. Vistara has seen a rise in demand for non-stop flights, as passengers try to avoid stopovers to reduce the risk of getting infected - a trend it expects will continue in the future. Air India is the only Indian airline currently offering direct flights to the US. “This means there is definitely an opportunity...to fly direct to the US, and it is an opportunity we are looking at,” Kannan said. The airline, which started international flights last year, currently operates two Boeing widebody planes and has four more on order but Kannan said the specifications and layout were not suited for direct flights to the US. Whether Vistara would look at ordering new planes or leasing them is under discussion. “In today’s situation it is much easier to lease a widebody compared to one year ago. Those opportunities and scenarios are being worked on,” Kannan said.<br/>