Up In The Air

As Vistara navigates skies filled with low-cost competitors, CEO Leslie Thng is optimistic for one simple reason: Great products always find takers

- Abhishek Mande Bhot

Few things cause despair like an endless traffic jam stretching into the horizon. It’s especially nerve-wracking if it’s before an important appointment. As it turns out, Leslie Thng has been staring at the same sight himself. Gurugram traffic spares no one, not even the CEO of Vistara, who profusely apologises to me when he arrives about 20 minutes late for our meeting. Because if there’s someone who knows the importance of being on time, it’s Thng. Every month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation measures the punctuality of his and every other airline in the country. In March this year, Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, registered an impressive 83 per cent on-time performance, the highest among full-service carriers in India. “We’ve very quickly been able to grow from nothing to having 20 aircraft,” says Thng excitedly, who also completes six months as the airline’s boss today.