Indian full-service airline Vistara has today taken delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The 787-9, registered VT-TSD, was handed over at Boeing’s Everett Delivery Center this morning, and will fly to India to land tomorrow (29th February). It will be the first 787-9 operated by an Indian airline, the first Indian aircraft to offer three classes of cabins on board and the first to bring inflight WiFi to passengers too.
Vistara’s first Dreamliner is here
India’s growing full-service carrier Vistara has taken delivery of its shiny new Boeing 787 Dreamliner today. The airline received the ceremonial keys to the aircraft at Boeing’s Delivery Center in Everett, and will fly the aircraft to its home in India tomorrow, on February 29th.
When the Dreamliner lands in India, it will make Vistara the first airline to operate the Boeing 787-9 in the nation and will take the carrier a step closer to its long haul ambitions. Vistara’s chief executive Leslie Thng commented on the new aircraft in a press release sent to Simple Flying, saying,
"This aircraft delivery marks a new phase of growth for Vistara and unlocks our potential to become one of the world’s best airlines. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is one of the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft. We are delighted to add it to our growing fleet with a brand new wide-body product designed to global standards, hence offering the anew feeling of flying'' to our customers across the world."
This Dreamliner is the first of six to be delivered to the Indian airline. The second is already on the production line and is likely to be delivered soon. Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing at Boeing, further commented,
"Vistara has shown their commitment to bringing a full-service luxury flying experience to the growing Indian market and we are honored they chose the 787 Dreamliner to inaugurate their widebody operations and drive their global growth. Vistara’s faith and confidence in the Dreamliner speaks to the airplane’s unparalleled fuel efficiency, range flexibility and ability to create new city pairs, allowing the airline to connect India domestically, regionally and beyond.â€
Inside the Dreamliner
Vistara’s first Dreamliner, registration VT-TSD, is arranged in a three-class configuration, with 299 seats in total. The business class cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving all passengers that all-important direct aisle access. Seating is lie flat, naturally.
Premium economy has a 2-3-2 layout in a separate cabin. There’s no imagery from the inside of the aircraft, but we can expect a full reveal once the Dreamliner is back in India. Vistara will be the first Indian airline to offer three classes onboard its aircraft, as Air India only offers two.
What we do know is that every seat includes an inflight entertainment screen, with a full HD display. Panasonic is providing the inflight entertainment, and will also be providing inflight WiFi on the Dreamliner thanks to a new partnership with Nelco. When the aircraft takes flight with the WiFi switched on, Vistara will become the first airline in history to offer inflight connectivity in India.
Where can you fly the Dreamliner?
Vistara hasn’t yet issued a date for the inaugural flight. However, it has said that it will begin flying within India for a limited period of time from March onwards. These shorter flights will be part of the process of crew familiarization, letting the airline work out any kinks on shorter flights before diving into long haul operations.
After this, it will be deployed on long haul operations which the airline has said will include Japan and Europe. These international routes are slated to begin in May.
Are you excited to fly the Vistara Dreamliner? Let us know in the comments.