Vistara plans to expand fleet size; fly overseas routes within 2 years

Vistara, the country's newest airline, plans to expand its fleet size and start flying to international destinations within two years, its CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said on Tuesday, ahead of an expected change in aviation rules that currently restrict new carriers from operating abroad.

"There are lots of opportunities. Suddenly when the 5/20 rule goes away it's a new ball game," Yeoh told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

Vistara, a joint venture of Singapore Airlines and Tata Group, is looking to procure an undecided number of new narrow-body and wide-body aircraft to increase domestic flights and begin flying to the Gulf and eventually to Europe and the United States, the airline's CEO said.

Under the existing 5/20 rule, domestic carriers must be up and running for five years or possess 20 planes before they can start flying international routes, a restriction the Misitry of Civil Aviation has said it is committed to scrap.

"Seventy per cent of international traffic that Indians travel is westwards. This is where our focus will be," Yeoh said.

Vistara had said in 2014 that it would gradually grow its fleet size to 20 Airbus A320 aircraft by 2019, all leased from Singapore-based BOC Aviation.

(Reuters)