It’s been nearly two years since Vistara launched long-haul flights, becoming India’s second airline to do so. However, a delivery pause on the Dreamliners has meant the carrier has been pushing its 787s to cover as much ground as safely possible. Here’s a look at a week in the operations of the 787 and where it could go next.
Two planes, three cities
Vistara operates two 787-9s currently, registered VT-TSD and -TSE. These aircraft are primarily used to fly to three cities, London, Paris, and Frankfurt, along with an occasional domestic leg added. So how does Vistara pull it off? Let’s take a look at last week’s schedule.
Currently, the full-service carrier is flying to London every day, effectively dedicating one Dreamliner to the route. On Monday, the first 787 will depart at 14:40 local time and land in London at 19:50. The return leg will take off at 22:05 and return to Delhi the next morning at 10:55 AM.
Vistara is considering leasing 787-9s to make up for the capacity shortfall it is facing. Photo: Getty Images
Two hours later, on Tuesday afternoon, the first Dreamliner is back in the sky, flying to Frankfurt at 13:20 local time and landing at 18:55. After an under two-hour stop, the first 787 is back in Delhi at 08:15 AM with two full days of flying under its belt. That afternoon, at 14:30, the plane was off to Paris, the third long-haul destination of the week scheduled for Vistara.
Alternating planes
While the first 787 flies to Frankfurt on Tuesday, Vistara’s second Dreamliner takes over the London route. Both planes need to spend at least a day on the ground, which means weekly rotations can’t exceed 12. This explains why the airline is currently flying 7x times to London, 3x to Frankfurt, and 2x to Paris.
Vistara is using the 787 within its safe limits to try and offer as much capacity as possible on key routes like London. Photo: Vistara
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