Hope '5x20 Rule' for flying abroad will go away soon: Vistara

Says if the Indian aviation industry has to be on the global map, this rule must go

The CEO of Tata-SIA joint venture airline Vistara today expressed hope that the government would soon do away with the '5x20 Rule', which mandates a carrier to be five-year-old and have at least 20 aircraft in its fleet before being allowed to serve international market as well.

"We are hopeful that the '5x20 Rule' will go away shortly. If the Indian aviation industry has to be on the global map, this rule must go...," Vistara chief executive officer Phee Teik Yeoh said here.

The New Delhi-based full service carrier, in which Tata Sons holds 51% stake and Singapore Airlines remaining 49%, will start operations on January 9 on Delhi- Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad-Mumbai routes.

Vistara had been granted the Air Operator Permit (AOP) by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation last week.

The airline plans to operate 87 flights in the first year with a fleet of five Airbus A320 aircraft, and then scale it up to 301 flights by the fourth year.

He said Vistara expects to hit the international skies once the government removes the '5X20 Rule'. At present, the rule allows Indian airlines to fly abroad only after they have flown domestic for five years and have a 20-aircraft fleet.

Yeoh said Vistara was committed to have a fleet of 20 Airbus A320 aircraft by the fourth year of operations, and added "we will take the delivery of the third and the fourth plane very soon". He, however, did not rule out the induction of other types of aircraft in the fleet.

The carrier, which had earlier announced its plan to roll out flight services by September, aims to have five aircraft in the fleet by March next year. It currently has two.

Vistara is working on interline sales agreements and other partnerships with a few major international airlines including Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, airline's chief commercial officer Giam Ming Toh said.

Earlier, the airline unveiled its product, brand music, in-flight meal service and frequent flyer programme - Club Vistara. "Today, we unveiled our long-awaited product and service elements that are a manifestation of our brand promise of delivering a seamless and personalised travel experience," CEO Yeoh said.

Vistara also announced a strategic partnership with the Taj Group for the customers of the two entities.