Indian carrier Vistara, a joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has introduced a new six times weekly service to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Vistara chief strategy officer Vinod Kannan said: “We are very happy to step into another new geography with flights to Sri Lanka, a nation with enormous potential for tourism as well as trade.
"To Sri Lanka, we introduce India’s only five-star airline that’s committed to making a mark across the globe with a world-class product and impeccable service delivery. We are confident that travellers will enjoy the unmatched hospitality when flying the ‘new feeling’ with Vistara.”
Elsewhere, Vistara has appointed Hayleys PLC as its representation company in Sri Lanka.
The airline inaugurated its international operations in August 2019 with Singapore as its first destination, followed by Dubai, UAE and Bangkok, Thailand.
In the last seven months, the airline has expanded its fleet and network by close to 50% each and has flown around 4.5 million passengers. Vistara’s fleet size is set to almost double by the end of the current financial year ending March 2020, when compared to the size at the start of FY19-20.
Vistara is aiming to continue its rapid growth across India and abroad, as it is poised to induct as many as 56 narrow-body and wide-body aircraft over the next four years, including 50 aircraft from the Airbus A320neo family for domestic and international short and medium-haul operations and 6 Boeing B787-9 for long-haul international operations.