DELHI - Indian airline Vistara, co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines (SIA), has cancelled a raft of flights as it contends with a crew shortage.

“We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons including crew unavailability,” the company said in a statement on April 1. The airline will deploy larger aircraft, like Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and Airbus’ A321neo, on some domestic routes as it combines flights, it said.

Vistara expects to return to its regular capacity soon and is offering alternative flights or refunds to travellers affected by cancellations and delays. The airline had the worst on-time performance among all domestic carriers on April 1, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Pilots at Vistara are not reporting for duty after their salaries were revised to match those of staff at Air India, local media outlet CNBC-TV18 reported on April 1, citing sources it did not identify. The new structure would see Vistara pilots’ guaranteed pay cut to 40 flying hours from 70 hours, the report said.

The carrier is in the process of merging with Tata’s Air India in a deal that is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. SIA will hold a 25.1 per cent stake in the enlarged airline after an investment of US$250 million (S$338 million) and the city-state’s antitrust regulator in March granted conditional approval for the merger.

Vistara operates more than 300 flights a day and has a fleet of 67 aircraft, mainly from the A320 family, and six 787 Dreamliner jets. BLOOMBERG