Singapore: The launch of Vistara's inaugural New Delhi-Mumbai flight on Friday marked a significant achievement for co-owner Singapore Airlines (SIA).
It also heralded the beginning of what should be a better year for the Singapore carrier.
After two decades of trying to enter the India market and two earlier failures, SIA, which owns 49 per cent of the Indian premium carrier, had finally gained a foothold in one of the world's fastest-growing air travel markets.
The rest of Vistara is held by Indian conglomerate Tata.
It was a happy day for SIA, which has been battered over the last few years by cut-throat competition from other full-service airlines and budget carriers putting pressure on yields and profits. In November, the airline reported a 55.5 per cent plunge in profits to $126 million for the six months ended Sept 30.
With rivals including Middle Eastern and other Asian carriers closing the gap with new products and improved service levels, SIA has been criticised by some for not moving quickly enough to up its own game.
16/01/15 Karamjit Kaur/The Straits Times
It also heralded the beginning of what should be a better year for the Singapore carrier.
After two decades of trying to enter the India market and two earlier failures, SIA, which owns 49 per cent of the Indian premium carrier, had finally gained a foothold in one of the world's fastest-growing air travel markets.
The rest of Vistara is held by Indian conglomerate Tata.
It was a happy day for SIA, which has been battered over the last few years by cut-throat competition from other full-service airlines and budget carriers putting pressure on yields and profits. In November, the airline reported a 55.5 per cent plunge in profits to $126 million for the six months ended Sept 30.
With rivals including Middle Eastern and other Asian carriers closing the gap with new products and improved service levels, SIA has been criticised by some for not moving quickly enough to up its own game.
16/01/15 Karamjit Kaur/The Straits Times
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