Amid repeated disruptions, Vistara has announced scaling back its operations by 25-30 flights per day, which is expected to provide much-needed resilience and buffer in the rosters and bring stability, the airline spokesperson said.
He said that after scaling back operations, the airlines will reach the same level of flight operations that they had in February of this year.
“We are carefully scaling back our operations by around 25-30 flights per day, i.e. roughly 10 per cent of the capacity we were operating. This will take us back to the same level of flight operations as at the end of February 2024 and provide the much-needed resilience and buffer in the rosters,” the Vistara spokesperson told ANI.
He added that this proactive approach underscores Vistara’s commitment to customer satisfaction amidst operational adjustments.
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He said that the cancellations are mostly being made in domestic networks while adding that the affected passengers have been re-accommodated on other flights.
The spokesperson further said that the improvement in situation has been seen for the last few days and the airline is hopeful of reaching stable operations for the rest of the month and beyond.
“These cancellations are done mostly in our domestic network and much ahead of time to minimize inconvenience to the customers. Also, all the affected passengers have already been re-accommodated on other flights, as applicable,” the spokesperson said.
“In line with what we had said earlier, all the changes for the month of April 2024 have been done and the situation has already gotten better with our on-time performance improving for the last few days. Looking ahead, we are hopeful of stable operations for the rest of the month and beyond,” he added.
The airline remains dedicated to providing seamless and reliable services to its passengers while navigating the evolving aviation landscape. Vistara’s strategic manoeuvre reflects a proactive stance aimed at ensuring operational efficiency and maintaining service excellence amidst challenging circumstances, the statement added.
Earlier on Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer of Vistara, Vinod Kannan, said that the airline hopes to stabilise operations for the rest of April 2024 by this weekend, as 98 per cent of pilots have signed the new pay contract.
The airline said it has been reaching out to all customers affected by the delays and cancellations to offer relevant refunds and compensation.
Notably, a significant number of Vistara pilots had taken sick leave following the announcement of new salary rules, which coincided with the merger with Air India. The pilot shortage issue stemmed from pay cuts implemented after new flying hours regulations came into effect recently.
Due to crew shortages earlier this week, the full service carrier experienced severe operational disruptions and numerous flights were cancelled.
The Vistara CEO also informed that the airline is engaging with pilots to clarify and resolve their concerns.
In this regard, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week, asked Vistara Airlines to submit daily reports about flight operations and follow the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR).