Earlier this year, I had written about how private Indian carriers had bagged prestigious London Heathrow slots to operate relief flights from India to London and vice-versa. While SpiceJet intended to serve this sector with a wet-lease aircraft, but they postponed it indefinitely, Vistara launched Delhi – London Heathrow routes with their brand new Boeing 787 aircraft, of which the airline has two in the fleet right now. While Vistara intended to scale up the flights in November 2020, they had to postpone the plan to December 2020 due to the UK Lockdown. However, Vistara London Heathrow operations are just going to get a boost come January 2021.

Now, Vistara has announced the launch of their second route on the long-haul operations in the tough times of the CoVid-19 pandemic. Vistara will operate special, non-stop flights between Mumbai and London Heathrow from January 16 through March 27, 2021, for now. The flights have been introduced as part of the air bubble formed between India and the UK.

During the period, Vistara will fly thrice a week between the two cities – on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Mr. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted at the very positive response to our service between Delhi and London Heathrow which has encouraged us to further strengthen the network by adding connectivity from Mumbai as we see considerable demand between the two countries, and remain optimistic about the future. Vistara is well-positioned with its brand new fleet, world-class cabin products, award-winning service, and more importantly, the trust of our customers.”

The airline will deploy its brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on the route to provide non-stop flights to travellers in both directions. Vistara is also seeking necessary regulatory approvals to soon operate similar special flights to Paris, France and Frankfurt, Germany.

Who Can Fly between India and London Heathrow?

From India to the United Kingdom:

1. Indian nationals who are permitted to travel abroad as per the guidelines above and are destined for the UK.
2. Stranded UK nationals/residents, foreign nationals transiting through UK or spouses of these persons, whether accompanying or otherwise
3. Seamen of foreign nationalities; Seamen of Indian origin would be allowed subject to clearance from the Ministry of Shipping.

From the United Kingdom to India:

As per the Indian Government’s last notification issued on June 30, 2020, stranded Indian nationals are allowed to enter the country. Additionally, all Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) Cardholders are permitted to enter the country as well. The following categories of foreign nationals have also been allowed to come to India:

• Foreign business people who are coming to India on a Business Visa [other than on B-3 Visa for sports] in non-scheduled commercial/chartered flights.
• Foreign Healthcare professionals, health researchers, engineers and technicians for technical work at Indian health sector facilities, including laboratories and factories. This is subject to a letter of invitation from a recognised and registered healthcare facility, registered pharmaceutical company or accredited University in India.
• Foreign Engineering, Managerial, Design or other Specialists who are travelling to India on behalf of foreign business entities located in India. This includes all manufacturing units, design units, software and IT units as well as financial sector companies (banking and non-banking financial sector firms).
• Foreign Technical specialists and engineers travelling for installation, repair and maintenance of foreign-origin machinery and equipment facilities in India, on the invitation of a registered Indian business entity. These could be for equipment installation or is under warranty, or for after-sales servicing or repair on commercial terms.
• Foreign nationals covered shall have to obtain a fresh Business visa or Employment visa, as applicable, from the Indian Missions/ Posts abroad. Foreign nationals holding a valid long term multiple entry Business visas [other than B-3 visa for sports] issued by the Indian Missions/Posts abroad shall have to get the Business visa re-validated from the Indian Mission/Post concerned. Such foreign nationals will not be permitted to travel to India on the strength of any electronic visa obtained earlier.

How much would it cost?

The round-trip fares from Mumbai to London start from INR 46,799 in Economy Class, INR 77,899 in Premium Economy, and INR 157,599 in Business Class. Bookings for these flights are opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents such as MakeMyTrip.

Bottomline

Vistara has a superior product as compared to Air India on this route any day. However, Vistara will have to compete with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic who will also be operating on this route. However, it is excellent news anyways for Vistara and its patrons, given how the airline is getting a toe-hold into the London Heathrow market and should be able to build upon its presence there after getting started with operations.

Vistara London Heathrow operations will get a flight from Mumbai shortly. Will you be heading to LHR from Mumbai anytime soon?

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