Why Vistara's A321neo delivery puts it well ahead of its competitors

Vistara has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo which features lie-flat seats in Business Class. This makes the Indian carrier the first airline in South Asia to include lie-flat seats on a narrow-body aircraft.

Vistara has introduced Business Class seats that recline to form fully-flat beds. Photo by Vistara.

VT-TVA departed Airbus' Hamburg facility on 24 June bound for Delhi. The aircraft, which arrived earlier today, is the first of 6 Airbus A321neos the airline has on order. The planes are on lease from Air Lease Corporation.

The latest delivery is part of the order for 50 Airbus A320 family jets that Vistara signed for in 2018. Currently, Vistara operates a fleet of just over 30 Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Vistara's latest jet has 188 seats split between three classes. This includes 152 Economy Class seats, 24 in Premium Economy class and 12 in Business Class. The airline's business class seats on the Airbus A321neo feature lie-flat capabilities; the first of its kind in South Asia, Vistara affirms.

Vistara's Premium Economy onboard its new Airbus A321neo. Photo by Vistara.

Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer at Vistara said: “We are excited to welcome our first A321neo aircraft, the latest addition in our growing fleet. The new aircraft ensures operational enhancement, cost efficiency as well as reduction in carbon footprint for us while enabling extra payload capacity, greater fuel efficiency and higher range."

Thng continued: "The new cabin products on our A321 aircraft truly complement our promise of providing a premium and world-class flying experience to travellers from and to India. All of these aspects perfectly align with our international growth strategy."

The latest delivery fits in well with Vistara's existing fleet of aircraft, notably Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family planes for short-medium haul routes and the carrier's Boeing 787-9 for future long-haul expansion. The Airbus A321neo offers more capacity than the carrier's current A320s and Boeing 737 planes, coupled with more efficiency resulting in fuel savings.

Economy Class on Vistara's new Airbus A321neos. Photo by Vistara.

Vistara's Airbus A321neo also features India's only Premium Economy class, giving the carrier yet another competitive advantage.

With its fleet plans already set out, all that's left to do is bring the planes into service. That goes for the airline's Boeing 787-9 as well, which hasn't yet been deployed on the long-haul services it was earmarked for.