Air Vistara to commence operations on January 9

Singapore Airlines's foray into India, Vistara, which is a joint venture with the Tata conglomerate, is scheduled to start operations from January 9, 2015. According to airlines officials, the New Delhi-based service, which will commence operations with a fleet of Airbus A320-200s, will initially flights to Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

"I am optimistic about the potential that Indian aviation market has to offer as many airlines in the country are cash-strapped," said Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh. "The government will continue to take action to remove cost impediment that is ailing this industry. I applaud the move that the government has taken and I look forward to government setting an actionable goal to lift this aviation industry to its full potential," he added. The announcement comes in the middle of a particularly testing time for the airlines industry, with budget carrier SpiceJet struggling for survival. The Tata Group and Singapore Airlines had announced the plan to launch Vistara on September 19. According to reports, the company has signed interline agreement with Singapore Airlines and is also in talks with other airlines for the same. Vistara will work to expedite its international footprint once curbs on newer airlines to start international operations are removed. The company is said to have hired more than 400 people.