Air India to end brand Vistara after merger

Airline to retain Maharajah brand after its merger with Tata SIA Airlines

- Anu Sharma

Air India, owned by the Tata group, will discontinue the Vistara brand on completion of its merger with Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, the operator of Vistara airline, chief executive and managing director Campbell Wilson said.

"Vistara clearly has a very strong recognition in the Indian market...but if you look outside the Indian market, clearly Air India is much more recognized and has a 90-year history. So, the future full-service carrier will be called Air India, but we would like to retain and celebrate some of the Vistara heritage in that new manifestation," Wilson told reporters in a virtual press conference.

While Tata-run Air India completed a year of privatization in January, Vistara started operations in January 2015 as a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines.

In November 2022, Singapore Airlines and Tata Group announced a merger between Air India and Vistara, with Singapore Airlines holding 25.1% of the merged entity. The merger is expected to be completed by March 2024.