Vistara becomes only Indian airline on the list of world’s top 20, topped by Qatar Airways for 2nd straight year

Vistara becomes only Indian airline on the list of world’s top 20, topped by Qatar Airways for 2nd straight year

While top three airlines Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Emirates received billions in government bailout to survive the pandemic, Vistara emerged without any such support like other Indian carriers.

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Monday, September 26, 2022, 03:15 PM IST
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Vistara |

Since its inception in 2015 as a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Group, Vistara has surged ahead of competitors to acquire almost 10 per cent market share in Indian skies. With a fleet of 50 aircraft, Vistara has been able to glide past rising costs of operation and covid’s third wave, thanks to its experience in navigating two previous waves. Although it remains in the second position in the domestic airspace after Indigo, Vistara has been elevated as the only Indian airline among the world’s top 20.

A dark horse in the skies?

The full-service airline eyeing a post-pandemic recovery, entered the list at the 20th position, right below Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic. The rankings were topped by Qatar Airways for a second year in a row, which received a $3 billion bailout from the Qatari government. The support provided the Doha headquartered airline a cushion against a $4.1 billion loss during the pandemic. Vistara on the other hand, received no such financial help during covid, like the rest of India’s aviation sector, and even had to send 1200 employees on leave without pay.

Considering the storm that Indian airlines weathered with the resources they had, Vistara’s position among the best in the world is a notable achievement. The airline is also slated to be added to the Air India brand, as Tata is combining Vistara, AirAsia and Air India to create an aerial armada in the Indian aviation sector.

Government policies remain deciding factor

Qatar Airways was followed by Singapore Airlines, which bagged a bigger bailout at $13 billion, while Emirates flew in at the third position while paying back the $4 billion support it received from the Dubai government.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific dropped to the 16th position, while China’s best China Southern was at 13th, since both Hong Kong and mainland China are among few regions with strict quarantine rules for travellers. Cathay Pacific did gain on relaxation on norms, but has said that mandatory quarantine for crew is making it hard to scale up flight capacity.

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