Vistara receives Airbus A321LR plane from Germany

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Full service airline Vistara on Monday said it has received the Airbus A321LR plane from Germany on February 4.

Jointly owned by the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, Vistara is currently in the process of merging with Air India, which is also now owned by the Steel-to-salt conglomerate.

In 2018, the airline had placed an order for 50 A320Neo family planes, including A321LRs, to the European aircraft maker in Germany. This is for the first time an Indian carrier will be operating this long range variant of the A32-Neo plane.

With an increased maximum take-off weight of 97 tonnes and the third auxiliary centre fuel tank, enabling the aircraft to cover longer range; the Airbus A321LR opens an array of possibilities for the airline as it focuses on expanding its international network, Vistara said in a statement.

Airline Chief Executive Officer Vinod Kannan had last month told PTI that it will continue expanding and was aiming to have 70 planes in the fleet by mid-2024.

The addition of the first next generation CFM LEAP-1A engines-powered A321LR to the airline’s growing fleet reiterates its stronger focus on international expansion, Kannan said.

”It enables us to offer longer range connectivity to our customers while also maintaining greater fuel efficiency,” he said.

The A321LR aircraft has a total of 188 seats — 12 in business, 24 seats in premium economy, and 152 in economy class, and come equipped with 4-way adjustable headrests, in-seat power/USB charging ports, in-flight entertainment system along with onboard Wi-Fi facility, the airline said. (PTI)