In a major boost to the Air India-Vistara merger process, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted CAR 145 approval to Air India and Vistara to integrate their line maintenance operations. This will pave the way for the two Tata Group airlines to provide operational synergy.
According to experts, this move was long anticipated when the Vistara’s Head of Engineering, Sisira Kanta Dash, transitioned to the role of Chief Technical Officer at Air India.
The approval is one of the key milestones to unify the line maintenance resources of both airlines, as Vistara’s fleet will now be able to use the facilities and capabilities of Air India’s 12 line maintenance stations in India. The integration will also help Air India optimize its resources, enhance its operational performance and bolster its on-time performance. Furthermore, the integration will help provide easy accessibility and real-time availability of technical records.
The Vistara team is currently servicing the Air India Express fleet. The line maintenance integration will also help the Tata Group airlines optimize costs, mobilize resources and augment trained labor to cater to the newer challenges of aircraft maintenance with a wide variety of fleets.
The National Company Law Tribunal approved the merger of Air India and Vistara on June 7. Post-merger, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1% stake in Air India. Air India expects the merger to be completed by the end of this year.
