In a strategic move that signifies growing synergies between Air India and Vistara, the Tata Group owned airlines have received approval from India's aviation regulator to integrate their aircraft line maintenance operations.
As per sources familiar with the development, this approval marks a key milestone on the road to fully merging Air India and Vistara into a unified airline brand. By combining resources and expertise, the airlines aim to holistically optimize maintenance processes and systems while adopting industry-leading practices.
The integration will see Vistara's line maintenance activities come under Air India's scope of work. This is expected to not only enhance Air India's own technical capabilities but also strengthen the Engineering capacity of the entire Tata Group carrier network.
With many aircraft models in common, particularly the widely used Airbus A320 family, the aligned maintenance operations promise to deliver real benefits. Faster aircraft turnarounds, boosted on-time performance and heightened fleet uptime are anticipated through streamlined responsiveness across 12 domestic stations currently.
Resources and manpower can now be mobilized at scale, catering to the maintenance needs of Air India, Vistara and Air India Express in a unified approach. This merger of line maintenance capacities represents a major step in the overall integration process between Air India and Vistara scheduled for completion later this year.
Once complete, the Tata Group Aviation portfolio will be streamlined into a hybrid model comprising a full-service airline in Air India alongside a dedicated low-cost brand in Air India Express. Time will tell if the mutual optimization of line maintenance under the combined Air India umbrella can help power the newly integrated entity to even greater heights.
