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DALLAS — Indian full-service carrier Vistara (UK) has announced that it will take delivery of its final Boeing 787 Dreamliner by April of this year. This will allow it to complete the merger with flag carrier Air India (AI) by the beginning of next year.
When speaking to the media on Monday, the New Delhi-headquartered carrier's CEO, Vinod Kannan, announced that his confidence remains in Boeing for such a delivery. This comes after the news of an incident placing much of Boeing's fleet under scrutiny due to an incident involving an Alaska Airlines (AS) Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Despite this, Kannan went on to say that Vistara would be closely monitoring the Boeing 737 MAX situation.
DGCA, India's aviation authority, demanded that domestic operators of the Boeing 737-8 carry out checks to ensure they were up to safety standards. The DGCA then followed up on this to show its satisfaction with the aircraft type, deciding not to ground the aircraft.
The final long-haul aircraft to arrive in the airline's fleet is its 7th Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which the carrier hopes to be delivered by April 2024. This would bring the total number of aircraft in the carrier to 70, with a fleet comprised of the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 787. However, with the recent controversy surrounding Boeing, a delay in deliveries could be likely.
The Tata Merger on the Horizon
Speaking again at the same press conference on Monday, Kannan shared plans to complete the merger with Indian flag carrier Air India (AI). "We are looking towards this year or early next year as the operational merger, or it could stretch to the middle of next year or 2025," stated the South Asian carrier's CEO.
Before the operational merger takes place, the relevant approvals from a legal perspective have to take place. This is a barrier that many mergers fail to cross, but the Indira Gandhi International Airport-based (DEL) airline expects this stage to be finished at some point this year.
Featured Image: Daniel Gorun/Airways. Article sources: hidustantimes.com, Reuters
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