Press Release

Japan Airlines (JAL) and India’s finest full-service carrier, Vistara, today entered a codeshare partnership that will open up more routes between India and Tokyo than ever before. With the signing of this agreement, Vistara becomes the only codeshare partner for Japan Airlines in India. The sales of tickets open on February 26, 2019 on all channels and major GDS systems, for travel from February 28, 2019.

As part of the agreement, Japan Airlines will add its ‘JL’ designator code to approximately 32 Vistara-operated flights each day across India covering seven Indian cities, namely Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune. JAL and Vistara already have an interline/through check-in partnership and the two airlines had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2017 ¹ to pursue commercial opportunities as partners.

Commenting on this key partnership, Mr. Sanjiv Kapoor, Vistara’s Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, said: “We’re delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Japan Airlines with this codeshare agreement, which is a step that underlines our commitment of partnering with some of the leading airlines in the world and of putting Vistara, India’s best airline, on the global map. This partnership helps us offer greater convenience and variety of choice to customers with a comprehensive network, as well as the opportunity of welcoming travellers from Japan and beyond to experience Vistara’s award-winning hospitality and service. We’re confident that our respective customers will truly enjoy the shared benefits of this partnership between two airlines committed to being amongst the best service providers on the ground and in the sky.”

“The number of passengers traveling between Japan and India has increased over time,” said Mr. Hideki Oshima, Executive Officer, Japan Airlines. “By strengthening the partnership with Vistara, we will be able to provide better network access for our mutual customers. And, we look to further cooperate with Vistara to open up additional opportunities for both airlines.”

The codeshare flights will offer convenient connections to and from a daily flight that JAL already operates to Delhi directly from Tokyo Narita. Japan Airlines and Vistara flights operate from the same terminal at Delhi (T3), making connections at the airport even more convenient and seamless.

Japan Airlines customers traveling on Vistara will enjoy complimentary meals and will be able to choose between three different cabins, including India’s only Premium Economy class. Japan Airlines Mileage Bank members can also earn miles when booking on ‘JL’ coded Vistara flights.

As the highest-rated Indian airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and winner of several best-in-industry awards, Vistara has consistently raised the bar for operations and service standards in the Indian aviation market in a short span of four years. The airline today serves 22 destinations with over 800 flights a week and a fleet of 22 aircraft. Recently, Vistara finalized its aircraft order, which is a combination of purchased and leased aircraft totaling 50 from the Airbus A320neo family (including the A321neo) well as six purchased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

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1 Sep 7, 2017 Press Release http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201709/004416.html

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About Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1951 and became the first international airline in Japan. A member of the oneworld® alliance, the airline now reaches 349 airports in 52 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners with a modern fleet of 233 aircraft. JAL Mileage Bank (JMB), the airline's loyalty program, is one of the largest mileage programs in Asia. Awarded as one of the most punctual major international airlines and a certified 5-Star Airline by Skytrax, JAL is committed to providing customers with the highest levels of flight safety and quality in every aspect of its service, and aims to become one of the most preferred airlines in the world.

About Vistara (TATA SIA Airlines Limited)
TATA SIA Airlines Limited, known by the brand name Vistara, is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) with Tata Sons holding the majority stake of 51% in the company and SIA holding the remaining 49%. Vistara brings together Tata’s and SIA’s legendary hospitality and renowned service excellence to launch the finest full service carrier in India aimed at creating memorable and personalized flying experiences for its customers. Vistara commenced its commercial operations on January 9, 2015 with an aim to set new standards in the aviation industry in India.