Vistara Airlines resumed its flight operations to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) from New Delhi today after temporarily halting its services due to the global COVID pandemic, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited Marketing and Corporate Communications Department said.
The airline initiated its operations to Colombo in 2019.
The first flight, (UK138) (A320 Neo), departed from New Delhi and arrived at BIA at 10.10 am with 138 passengers (3 business class, 16 premium economy, and 119 economy).
Vistara is an Indian fully owned airline, based in Gurgaon, with its hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The carrier, a joint venture between Tata conglomerate and Singapore Airlines, initiated operations on January 9, 2015.
The first flight was welcomed by a celebratory water cannon salute upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport.
The passengers and guests were welcomed with Sri Lanka Tea Board-sponsored Ceylon Tea gift packs, followed by a traditional Kandyan dance performance.
Vistara airlines will operate three flights a week, and it will increase its daily operations to Mumbai and New Delhi from Colombo in the near future.
The airline is represented in Sri Lanka by North South Lines (Pvt.) Ltd., a subsidiary of Hayleys PLC, Sri Lanka’s preeminent multinational conglomerate.