Japan Airlines is the latest international airline to sign a partnership agreement with Indian domestic carrier Vistara.
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Indian carrier Vistara signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 7th September to pursue commercial opportunities including codeshare, frequent flyer partnership as well as other operational arrangements, allowing them to leverage each other’s network, expertise and assets, subject to necessary approvals from authorities.
Vistara and Japan Airlines entered an ‘Inter-Airline Through Check-In’ (IATCI) partnership earlier this year enabling customers to enjoy a seamless 'Through Check-in' facility, when connecting to or from Vistara’s extensive domestic network and more than 50 countries across the globe on Japan Airlines’ network, using a single ticket. Air France-KLM is also a partner in this arrangement.
In addition to JAL and Air France-KLM, Vistara has interline/through check-in agreements with carriers such as Qatar Airways, ANA, British Airways, Finnair, Aeroflot, Ethiopian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, and codeshare partnerships with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.
Created in January 2015, Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%). The Vistara network currently includes 21 destinations with over 660 weekly flights operated by a fleet of 16 Airbus A320 aircraft, including an A320neo delivered in May — the first of seven aircraft to be leased from BOC Aviation.