Vistara cuts 10% of flights on domestic routes; what it means for passengers

Private carrier Vistara, which faced absenteeism from a section of pilot and crew in the past week, has announced that it would reduce 10% of its operational flights on the domestic route.

This would result in a reduction of 25-30 flights operated per day, Vistara said. The announcement comes in the backdrop of the airline planning to operate 300 flights during the entire summer season, which is usually marked by a peak in passenger footfall.

The reduction in flights will take the operational capacity to the same as it stood in February 2024, an airline spokesperson told the media. The move will “provide the much-needed resilience and buffer in the rosters”, the spokesperson added.

Vistara was forced to cancel dozens of flights last week after a section of pilots and crew members took sick leaves en masse. Reports had claimed that the airline’s staff resorted to absenteeism to mark their protest against the adoption of a new pay structure, as part of the process to merge with the Tata Group’s Air India.

Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan, however, said on April 6 that “98% of the pilots” have accepted the new pay structure. He pinned the blame of the disruption in flights to a stretched roster on account of high utilisation of pilots.

“We are aware that some pilots have some concerns and queries regarding the contract. We are engaging with them to clarify and resolve the same. However, this has not caused any visible spike in attrition amongst pilots,” news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

What Vistara’s 10% cut in domestic flights means for passengers?

• The cancellations pertain to domestic routes, which means that travellers who have booked Vistara flight tickets on international routes would not face any disruption.

• According to the airline, those passengers who will be affected due to the cancellation have been “re-accommodated on other flights, as applicable".

• The reduction in operational flight capacity is aimed at stabilising the operations in April and beyond, the airline said. If the operations are stabilised, then the passengers are unlikely to face disruptions – as they faced last week due to the sudden cancellation of flights – in the future.

• The rates of flights on select domestic routes could go up, in view of the cancellations announced by Vistara. The airline’s decision to reduce its operational capacity comes at a time when the overall demand in the aviation sector is expected to accelerate with the onset of summer, analysts said, adding that this may lead to a rise in fares on some routes.