Vistara receives first A321neo with lie-flat beds on narrow body jet, first in South Asia

Vistara has received its first Airbus A321neo, thus strengthening its commitment to expanding international operations. The aircraft – which is part of the order of 50 from the Airbus A320 Family signed in 2018 – arrived in Delhi from production facility in Hamburg, Germany. This addition makes it the first airline in South Asia to offer lie-flat beds on a narrow body aircraft and one of the few such airlines across the world.

Leslie Thng, chief executive officer of Vistara said: “This new addition to our fleet reinforces our long-term commitment to international expansion plans, despite the challenges of the current times. The new cabin products on our A321neo aircraft truly complement our promise of providing a premium and world-class flying experience to travellers from and to India.”

The A321neo aircraft ensures operational enhancement, cost effectiveness as well as reduction of carbon footprint while enabling extra payload capacity, greater fuel efficiency and higher range. All of these aspects perfectly align with the carrier’s international growth strategy, added Thng.

Featuring Vistara’s three-class cabin configuration, the aircraft has a total of 188 seats – 12 in business class, 24 in premium economy and 152 in economy. The A321neo aircraft are powered by next generation CFM LEAP-1A engines that reduces noise footprint by nearly 50% and also emit less carbon. They are at least 20% more fuel efficient per seat than the previous generation aircraft with the new technology engines and new aerodynamics of the wings (sharklets).

“In these challenging times, differentiation through efficiency, product and customer mindset is what truly matters, and we are proud to see our A321neo as an essential cornerstone in meeting Vistara’s strategic objectives for the future,” said Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer of Airbus.