Sunday, Aug 30, 2015
Dubai
Vistara, the Indian joint venture airline between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is entering the Arabian Gulf market with the announcement it has appointed Sharaf Travels as a ticket sales agent.
The airline, 51 per cent owned by Tata, said on Sunday Sharaf Travels will represent it by selling airfares in all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, according to an emailed statement. It is, however, not launching flights to the region. The decision to appoint a regional ticket sales agent will likely help the airline tap into the substantial Indian expatriate population that live in the Gulf along with holidaymakers and business travellers.
“We recognise that the Gulf countries are among the fastest growing in the world today, and are delighted to have established a presence here in less than eight months after we launched domestic services in India,” stated Vistara Chief Executive Phee Teik Yeoh.
Sharaf Group President Ibrahim Sharaf stated he is confident the tie-up will boost the airline’s footprint in the Gulf.
“Our core strategy will be to engage with leading travel agents [and] tour operators and passengers by providing valuable support and service on behalf of Vistara,” he said.
Vistara launched commercial flights in January 2015 and currently has 245 weekly flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Goa, Guwahati and Bagdogra.
Staff Report
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