It’s the last day in Vistara! As the airline carried out its last flight, netizens became emotional, saying: “Thank you for the memories you brought us”

Vistara will operate its last flight under its own brand on Monday, November 11, and its operations will be merged with Air India from tomorrow. With this merger, the number of full-service airlines in India’s aviation sector will be reduced from five to one in just over 17 years.

The merger will give Singapore Airlines a 25.1% stake in Air India and marks the end of Vistara, another Indian airline co-owned by foreign airlines following the liberalization of foreign direct investment.

The event attracted the attention of netizens, many of whom posted touching posts.

Vistara is also the only full-service airline to start operations in the past 10 years. Since the merger of full-service carrier (FSC) Air India with Air India in 2007, there have been at least five FSCs dotting Indian skies.

Over time, Kingfisher and Air Sahara disappeared, while Vistara took off in January 2015. Kingfisher Airways went bankrupt in 2012, while Air Sahara sank in 2019 along with Jet Airways, which was acquired by Jet Airways and renamed JetLite.

AI announces management changes

Meanwhile, Air India Group last week announced a slew of management changes ahead of the merger.

Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan, who has been serving as chief integration officer for the full-service airline merger, will continue in the latter role post-merger.

He will be a member of the Management Committee and report directly to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.

Vistara chief commercial officer Deepak Rajawat will serve as chief financial officer of the newly enlarged Air India Express, reporting to CEO Aloke Singh.

Announcing the changes, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said: “Over the past two years, the four Tata airlines have been working hard to prepare for and execute one of the most complex mergers in aviation history. One, merging four airlines into two. Against a backdrop of dramatic growth and massive transformation, we are pleased to formally form group leadership, made up of colleagues from all four previous airlines, to drive the next phase of our growth. ”

“I would also like to thank those who have retired or held other positions within the Tata Group who have contributed significantly not only to the integration process but also to the DNA of what is now the new Air India over the years.”