SIA and Tata Sons' JV mulls delaying delivery of some aircraft

It plans to take 37 Airbus planes from leasing companies.

Indian airline Vistara is in talks with planemakers and leasing companies to delay taking delivery of some aircraft, the carrier’s chief strategy officer said on 6 July, as COVID-19 hits demand for air travel.

Vistara, owned by India’s Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, placed an order for 13 A320-neo family aircraft from Airbus SE in 2018 and said it would take another 37 Airbus planes from leasing companies—all due for delivery between 2019 and 2023.

It also has six Boeing Co 787-9 Dreamliner widebody planes on order, primarily for international flights, due to be delivered in 2020 and 2021.

Delivery of some planes have already been pushed back due to logistics issues and production delays at the planemakers, as countries went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Vinod Kannan, chief strategy officer at Vistara told reporters.

“We are looking to see how we can push back some of the deliveries not just because of the delays in production but also from a commercial perspective,” said Kannan.

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