File Photo: Vistara airline

NEW DELHI: The Tata Group-Singapore Airlines JV Vistara has got government nod to fly abroad, making it the first private airline being allowed to do so under recently amended rules.

“Vistara has been given permission to start its international operations,” aviation secretary P S Kharola said on Wednesday.

The Modi government had in 2016 changed the 5/20 rule — which required an airline must complete five years in operation and have 20 planes in its fleet — to fly abroad to 0/20. Since Vistara — which started flying on January 9, 2015, — has over 20 planes, the government set up a GoM to examine its request to fly abroad and has now cleared it to do so.

At present, Air India, AI Express, Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir fly abroad, with Go striating those flights only last October. So Vistara will be the seventh Indian carrier to fly overseas. The other Tata JV airline, AirAsia India completes five years this summer and will then fly abroad as it was not considered under the amended 0/20 due to a number of cases filed against the airline.

Vistara is likely to start international flights with service to Colombo. Bilaterals to other nearby places where any Indian carrier wants to fly like Dubai, China, Qatar and Singapore are almost exhausted and India did not hike them.

A Vistara spokesperson said, “We are closely working with the ministry of civil aviation. Specific details will be shared at an appropriate time.”

