‘We expect a significant increase in demand for non-stop flights as customers will try to avoid connecting flights due to concerns of exposure to COVID-19 in transit’

With the streamlining of state restrictions and growing confidence in air travel, the demand for domestic air travel has been steadily growing in the last few months. While it is still far from reaching pre-COVID levels, it may be safe to say that domestic air travel has started showing signs of recovery. Our recently concluded customer survey also indicated that about 63 per cent of our customers would take their next flight by February 2021, and it shows a gradual, upward-moving trend in demand. The news about the coronavirus vaccines has further brought positivity in the sector, however, return to pre-COVID levels and “normalcy” will largely depend on when a vaccine is made widely available.

International air travel, however, is still far from recovery as restrictions continue to evolve in many parts of the world, presenting uncertainties to travellers’. Having said that, some international routes are still viable for airlines to operate special flights as part of India’s travel bubble agreements with various countries, with a substantial amount of traffic on those routes.

When international travel opens up, we expect a significant increase in demand for non-stop flights as customers will try to avoid connecting flights due to concerns of exposure to COVID-19 in transit. Vistara is very well placed and operationally ready to offer direct connectivity to long-haul destinations, especially with more B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft joining our fleet. In the FY202122, we aim to get all six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft and more Airbus A321neo aircraft from the order we placed in 2018.

At Vistara, we continue to remain committed to our long-term growth strategy and remain optimistic about the possibilities and opportunities in time to come.