Vistara hit with cabin crew uniform shortage due to supply chain constraints

Vistara, started jointly by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, will be merged into Air India following the former‘s acquisition of the latter.

India-based full-service airline Vistara is experiencing supply chain issues regarding cabin crew uniforms. “Given our fleet expansion, we have been scaling up our cabin crew strength as well. However, due to an unforeseen issue with the supply of material, Vistara is experiencing limited availability of its cabin crew uniforms,” read the airline’s statement.

In the short term, “some of our cabin crew may be seen performing their duties in black-coloured trousers and polo t-shirts with Vistara logo instead of our standard aubergine uniform,” added Vistara, noting that this is not “an ideal measure”. However, it will ensure “business continuity and smooth operations to the maximum extent”.

The airline, which commenced operations in January 2015, has grown from an initial fleet of two aircraft to 61 aircraft. A majority of the fleet comprises 46 Airbus A320neos with the airline also operating 10 A321neo aircraft, including one A321LR. It also has four Boeing 787-9s to operate its long-haul flights. Over the past two years, the airline took delivery of 20 aircraft, including a pair of 787-9s, ch-aviation.com data showed.

“We are actively working with our suppliers to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We would like to assure our customers that irrespective of this temporary uniform, the focus of all our cabin crew remains on delivering world-class customer service,” the airline's statement added.

The aviation industry has faced supply chain issues for more than a year, with the most serious impact being Pratt & Whitney’s inability to supply working engines to IndiGo and Go First, which had to suspend operations for months together.

Vistara, started jointly by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, will be merged into Air India following the former‘s acquisition of the latter. Tata Sons, which will retain the majority stake in Air India and Singapore Airlines (a 25.1 percent shareholder) expect the transaction to be complete by October 2024.