Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan has said that the airline is in no hurry to lease more 787 Dreamliners as Boeing continues to grapple with production and delivery issues. Kannan clarified that he doesn’t want Vistara to be stuck with an aircraft that cannot be used viably.
Vistara won’t rush 787 Dreamliner lease
Speaking at the 78th annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Doha, Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan provided an update on the airline’s plans to add more Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its fleet.
Vistara placed an order for six Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft in 2018 but has so far taken delivery of just two. Boeing has not delivered a Dreamliner since June 2021 but is increasingly confident of 787 delivery resumption this summer.
Vistara currently has two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in its fleet. Photo: Vistara
Kannan said,
“The last thing we want is to hurry and get stuck with an aircraft that we cannot utilize viably.”
He added that any leasing agreement for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner would be on a short-term basis as the airline awaits delivery of its own 787s.
Delays have impacted operations
Vistara has been unable to effectively expand its international operations due to the ongoing delays affecting Dreamliner deliveries.
Kannan remarked,
“I would like to have it yesterday. But the facts are that these things do take time. When you come up with an RFP (Request For Proposal) for a new aircraft, there are a certain set of considerations.”
The Indian carrier has had to make do with two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The first (registration: VT-TSE) was delivered to Vistara in February 2020 before the second (VT-TSD) arrived in August. Both Dreamliners have recently been active on Vistara’s European network, flying to London, Frankfurt, and Paris in the past week.
CEO Kannan said that, as much as Vistara wants to expand its capacity with the addition of new widebodies, it will…