Vistara has decided to go retro and colour one of its planes sepia to relive the nostalgia and mark the 150th anniversary of Tata group, which is one of the parent companies of the airline.
On Saturday, the Tata Sons- Singapore Airlines joint venture unveiled its latest A320 neo aircraft in a livery or paint scheme used in the 1940s by the erstwhile Tata Air Lines – India’s very first airline that was founded by JRD Tata, who is also the first Indian to hold a commercial pilot license.
The new aircraft is the 22nd plane in the airline’s fleet and landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 31. It is painted in a shimmery silver-gold colour using mica paint, which gives it a shade of sepia under certain light conditions. The name of the airline is in red colour and the colour grey has been chosen for horizontal markings (or cheatlines) on the body of the plane. These colours are a departure from Vistara’s trademark aubergine and gold.
Cabin crew at the unveiling of Vistara's 22nd aircraft, an Airbus A320neo | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena
"This is an attempt to remind ourselves of the glorious past and to reinforce our association with our parents- Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines," said Vistara CEO, Leslie Thng, at an event.
The plane also has the same registration code VT-ATV that was used originally by one of the aircraft of Tata Air Lines.
The airline also showcased retro uniforms for the crew which will be worn on special occasions. These include a tailored jacket with skirt in soft hues of pale lilac and pastel pink along with a beret.
The aircraft will operate seven special flights starting September 5. Customers onboard these flights will be served dishes that were JRD Tata’s favourites.