Muscat: Indian carrier Vistara said on Friday its flights will be operated by Air India from November as a merger gets Indian government approval.

Vistara currently operates daily flights between Muscat and Mumbai and the status of those operations post-November is not known.

From July, all flights operated by Air India from the Sultanate of Oman were transferred to the budget airline Air India Express.

Vistara, which started operating non-stop daily flights between Mumbai and Muscat in November 2022, is the only carrier to offer Premium Economy class on the route, in addition to business and economy seats.

“The launch of operations to Muscat is in line with our goal to steadily enhance our footprint in the Middle East. The firm bilateral relationship and robust cultural and economic ties between India and states in the Gulf region have given great impetus to our growth plans,” said Vinod Kannan, chief executive officer at Vistara.

Singapore airlines stake

Singapore Airlines, which owns 49 percent of Vistara in a joint venture with India's Tata Group said it had received approval for foreign direct investment into an expanded Air India, clearing a significant hurdle in the merger process.

Singapore's flagship carrier announced a plan to merge the decade-old Vistara and Tata-owned Air India in November 2022, in a bid to create a dominant full-service airline in the domestic and international markets.

Vistara said its flights will be not available for bookings from September 3 and all flights will be operated by Air India.

Post-merger

If you have an existing booking with Vistara for travel on or before November 11, 2024, your flight will continue to be operated by Vistara and there is no impact or change in your booking.

Starting September 3, 2024, customers will progressively not be able to make bookings for travel after November 11, (For example from November 12, onwards on Vistara. For travel after November 11, you can bookings can be made via the Air India website www.airindia.com, or through the Air India mobile app.

If you have an existing booking with Vistara but your journey is after November 11, your flight will be operated by Air India.

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