Vistara takes Dreamliner aircraft on lease to boost international ops

Vistara said it has taken a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on lease, which will help the airline increase its number of flights to Frankfurt and Paris

Vistara on Saturday said it has taken a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on lease, which will help the airline increase its number of flights to Frankfurt and Paris.

This is the first Dreamliner plane taken on lease by Vistara. The private carrier already has two Dreamliner aircraft, which were purchased from Boeing, in its fleet.

Vistara had to take the plane on lease because Boeing has not delivered four more Dreamliner planes to it for two years. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US aviation regulator, wants Boeing to make rectifications in Dreamliner's production line before restarting the deliveries.

Vistara had ordered six Dreamliner planes in 2018 but has received only two from Boeing. The second plane was delivered in August 2020. Since then, it has been waiting for the other Dreamliners to come so as to boost its international flight operations.

Dreamliner is a wide-bodied aircraft with a bigger fuel tank that allows it to easily operate on long-haul international routes.

In a press release, Vistara said it will be increasing its number of flights to Frankfurt in Germany and Paris in France as it "gears up to receive its third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which has been leased recently".

It is not clear when the plane will be delivered to the airline in India.

Meanwhile, Vistara said the additional flights to and from Frankfurt and Paris will start from October 30.

The private carrier will operate six weekly flights on the Delhi-Frankfurt route from October 30, instead of the three weekly services currently, it said.

The airline will operate five weekly flights on the Delhi-Paris route from October, instead of its two weekly flights currently.