The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has taken notice of the recent wave of flight cancellations and major delays plaguing Vistara Airlines, prompting the aviation authority to request a comprehensive report from the airline regarding these disruptions. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has faced significant operational challenges, with over 100 flights cancelled or delayed in the past week alone.
According to a senior official at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, “We have sought a detailed report from Vistara regarding flight cancellations and delays.” The aviation ministry has been inundated with complaints from passengers across the country regarding the sudden disruptions to Vistara’s flight schedules.
Vistara Airlines, in response to the situation, acknowledged the challenges and inconvenience faced by passengers. A spokesperson for the airline stated, “We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons including crew unavailability. We acknowledge and are deeply concerned about the inconvenience this has caused to our customers.”
The airline emphasized that their teams are actively working to address the issues and minimize the impact on passengers. To manage the situation, Vistara has temporarily reduced the number of flights it operates, ensuring adequate connectivity across its network. Additionally, the airline has deployed larger aircraft such as the B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights and accommodate more passengers.
“We are offering alternate flight options or refunds to affected customers, as applicable,” the Vistara spokesperson added. “Once again, we understand that these disruptions have caused immense discomfort to our customers, and sincerely apologize to them for the same. We are working towards stabilizing the situation and will resume operating our regular capacity very soon.”
Aviation sources have indicated that the recent challenges faced by Vistara stem from pilots refusing to operate flights due to extended duty hours and reduced flying hours. This development follows earlier issues in early March, when Vistara’s flight operations at Delhi and Mumbai airports were impacted primarily due to pilot unavailability.
Vistara, currently in the process of merging with Air India after the latter’s privatization, has been at the center of attention as passengers express their concerns on social media and report the matter to the Ministry and other regulatory authorities. The airline continues to work diligently to resolve the operational turbulence and restore normalcy to its flight schedules.
