Vistara reduces flight capacity by 10% amid crew shortages

New Delhi: Vistara, a Tata Group airline, announced on Sunday that it would reduce its capacity by 10 per cent, or 25-30 flights daily, primarily in the domestic network, due to crew shortages. This decision comes as the airline aims to stabilise operations after significant disruptions earlier in the week caused by many pilots falling ill.

The airline, which plans to operate over 300 flights daily in the current summer schedule, stated that this reduction would bring flight operations back to the level they were at the end of February 2024. The move is designed to provide resilience and a buffer in the rosters.

Vistara has ensured that these cancellations are made well in advance to minimise customer inconvenience. All affected passengers have been re-accommodated on other flights, and the airline reports improved on-time performance.

Vistara’s cancellations could lead to a further decrease in overall available capacity, potentially causing fares to rise on certain routes due to fewer services. The airline hopes to stabilise operations in April and beyond. Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan attributed the flight disruptions to a stretched roster. Some pilots have expressed concerns about a new contract that will lead to pay revisions ahead of the airline’s proposed merger with Air India. The airline, which employs around 1,000 pilots out of a total workforce of about 6,500 people, is looking to review the current rostering system after discussions with pilots. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked Vistara to submit a daily report on flight cancellations and delays. The DGCA has also issued a show-cause notice to Vistara for alleged violations of pilot training norms during conversion training, where pilots of narrow-body planes are trained to operate wide-body aircraft.

The alleged violations relate to Zero Flight Time Training (ZFTT) norms, and the conversion training for more than 10 pilots of A320 family planes to operate Boeing 787 aircraft has been halted following the DGCA’s concerns.

Vistara, which operates a fleet of 70 planes, including 63 aircraft from the A320 family and 7 wide-body Boeing 787s, has decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights it operates to ensure adequate network connectivity. The airline has also deployed larger aircraft like the B787-9 Dreamliner and A321 neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more customers where possible.

In the ongoing summer schedule, Vistara plans to operate 25.22 per cent more weekly flights at 2,324. The airline, a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, had a domestic market share of 9.9 per cent.