The Tata group is likely to retain the senior management of full-service airline Air India post its merger with Vistara, an Economic Times report said. While Campbell Wilson will continue as the CEO of Air India, the merged entity will have Nipun Aggarwal as the chief commercial and transformation officer, while Sanjay Sharma will continue as CFO. 

The current Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan will likely return to parent company Singapore Airlines, the report added. Deepak Rajawat, the chief commercial officer of Vistara, is likely to join the merged entity. 

Post-Merger Expectations: The merged entity will operate under the Air India brand.

In the run up to the merger, Air India is upgrading its fleet. Last year, it placed an order for 470 new aircraft with Boeing and Airbus. It is set to retrofit over 100 planes, including 40 widebody aircraft, and has ordered about 25,000 seats as a part of this revamp.

Air India also introduced premium economy, a cabin class that previously only Vistara offered in India. In its new Airbus A350-900 widebody jets, Air India has introduced a three-class configuration: Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class. While Air India’s website includes First Class in its cabin experience, it is not clear whether First Class will be offered aboard its flights going forward and if so, on what routes and which airplanes.

The process to merge Vistara’s loyalty program Club Vistara with Air India’s Flying Returns has also begun. In a mail sent out in May, Vistara told its customers that the Club Vistara program will continue until the integration is complete. The airline has given clarity on how the travelers’ tier status, points balance, future bookings, and award vouchers would be affected post integration. However, details regarding the co-brand credit cards have yet to be shared.

Merger Progress: Last month, the Air India-Vistara merger received the approval of National Company Law Tribunal, the Indians quasi-judicial body that looks at issues concerning companies. The approval paved the way for the airlines to begin the integration of their networks, human resources, and fleet deployments. 

While awaiting the approval, the companies had begun assessing their employees to fit their roles and responsibilities. In a meeting held by Wilson and Kannan in May, they shared that the merger is likely to be completed by mid-2025. However, as part of the merger, around 600 non-flying staff are expected to be let go.

Cleartrip Introduces New Corporate Travel Solution 

Online travel agency Cleartrip has launched a new corporate travel solution – ‘Cleartrip for Work’ (CFW). The company is targeting business travelers, “urban entrepreneurs”, and startup founders with this solution, it said in a statement. 

“Of the more than 30 million micro-entrepreneurs in India, most travel often and need flexible travel benefits,” said Anuj Rathi, chief business and growth officer at Cleartrip. 

The solution will offer low or zero cancellation fees, free seat selection, and up to 10% savings on flight fares through exclusive fares and GST input credit. 

Earlier this year, the company had launched its corporate travel management product ‘Out of Office’. It marked Cleartrip’s formal entry into the corporate travel segment after its aim to focus primarily on corporate booking travel.

Lonavala, Udaipur Top Destinations For Indians This Monsoon

During the monsoon season in India, travelers are selecting locations that allow them to experience treks, waterfalls, and wildlife, according to online travel company Booking.com. Among the most searched domestic leisure destinations for the period between July 1 and September 15, Lonavala has topped the list followed by Udaipur. 

Cities such as Jaipur, Pune, Ooty, Manali, and Mussoorie have also been among the most searched destinations. Apart from this, spiritual destination Puri has also emerged as a preferred location. 

Internationally, Dubai has remained the most-preferred short-haul destination, followed by Singapore, Colombo, Bangkok, and Bali. Among long-haul destinations, London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, and Tokyo have been the most searched locations. 

Akasa Air Commences Operations to Abu Dhabi, Jeddah

Budget airline Akasa Air has commenced operations to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates from Mumbai, marking its third international destination. It is now operating daily direct flights on the route. 

The airline also commenced operations on the Mumbai-Jeddah route starting Monday. Akasa is set to operate daily direct flights on the route, before increasing the frequency to 12 flights a week starting July 21. 

Two weekly flights are also scheduled to commence between Ahmedabad and Jeddah starting July 20, according to the airline. 

Akasa has also shared in a statement that it has been granted traffic rights for Kuwait and Medina. 

Ixigo, AU Small Finance Bank Launch RuPay Variant of Co-Branded Credit Card

Online travel agency Ixigo and India’s AU Small Finance Bank have launched a RuPay variant of their co-branded travel credit card. RuPay is the domestic card payment network of India – an indigenous alternative to Visa and MasterCard in India.

With this new variant, cardholders of the RuPay variant would be able to link the credit card with India’s instant UPI payment system. Accordingly, Ixigo has said that travelers would be able to get reward points for online and offline UPI payments using their cards. 

Ixigo Group CEO Aloke Bajpai and Group Co-CEO Rajnish Kumar said that the UPI integration is aimed to target travelers from Tier 2, 3 and 4 cities in India. 

Resorts World Cruises Introduces Gulf Cruise Vacations

Resorts World Cruises has expanded its operations to the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman with its boutique lifestyle ship Resorts World One. The cruise will embark from Dubai starting October 18, with itineraries to Sir Bani Yas Island in the UAE, and to Khasab and Muscat in Oman. The cruise line is also offering a cruise to Doha. 

Cruise tourism in India recorded a footfall of 470,000 in the 2023-24 financial year, marking an all-time high. Of this, 80% were domestic tourists. India is aiming to have attract 4 million cruise tourists by 2041, up from 300,000 in 2023.

Navi Mumbai Airport to be Operational in March 2025

The Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to become operational in March next year, according to Indian minister Murlidhar Mohol, reaffirming the timeline shared by the Adani group. 

Mohol and Indian Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan visited the airport site to review the progress. The airport is expected to cater to about 20 million passengers each year, Mohol said. 

It is under the management of Adani Enterprises’ airport arm Adani Airport Holdings. The group, which controls over 50% of the top 10 domestic routes, is planning to invest around 1,750 billion ($21 billion) in its airport business over the next 10 years. It is also likely to list the airport business by the 2028 financial year.