Premium economy class is here to stay: Vistara

New Delhi: As it looks to consolidate its position in the full service carrier space, merger-bound Vistara has said the premium economy class is here to stay and there has been a surge in the number of passengers opting for these seats.

Vistara, a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, was the first to introduce premium economy class in India. It operates around 320 flights daily on domestic and international routes with a fleet of 67 planes, and three more aircraft will be inducted by April this year. Currently, the airline offers premium economy class in the three aircraft models operated by it -- Airbus 320 neo, Airbus 321 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer Deepak Rajawat told PTI that the premium economy class is here to stay. “We have seen a surge in passengers picking up tickets on the premium economy (class). There is an uptick year-over-year,” he said and added that premium economy is a differentiation that the airline has created in India. India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world and there has been a strong rebound in domestic air passenger traffic post the coronavirus pandemic.

“Premium economy is a differentiation we have created in India. The first airline to bring it in. It does give a lot of benefits compared to what the economy class (gives)... it gives a value to the customer and that is why we have seen a turn around in premium economy in the last two to three years,” Rajawat said during an interaction this week.