by Vijaylakshmi
The Tata Group on Monday got aviation regulator DGCA’s nod for merging Vistara into Air India and erstwhile AirAsia India into AI Express. Now only the nod for foreign investment by partner Singapore Airlines into AI is needed to meet the target of completing the integration by the year-end. With this, the group says it has “concluded the harmonisation of operating procedures across its key functions, including harmonisation of the supporting manuals across all four carriers.”
AI CEO-MD Campbell Wilson said: “This is an important milestone in the merger of the Tata Group airlines and we are grateful for the support received from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in terms of timely clearances for the merger process.” Wilson said DGCA had guided their teams with a safety-first change management approach, aligning with the safety-first priorities of the Tata Group.
Air India (Vistara merged into it) will be the full service carrier and AI Express (the other airline merged into it) will be its low cost arm. The DGAC nod was mandatory as pilots have to undergo crossover training while changing a company or aircraft type.
While SIA has 49 percent stake in Vistara, it will have 25.1 percent stake in Air India when the merger goes through.
