<p>New Delhi: Vistara has offered voluntary retirement as well as voluntary separation schemes for its non-flying staff, ahead of the full service carrier's merger with Air India, according to officials.</p>.<p>A joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines, Vistara has around more than 6,500 employees, including permanent and contract staff.</p>.<p>The Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) have been offered for the non-flying permanent employees. Eligible staff can apply for the schemes till August 23, they said.</p>.Air India rolls out VRS for non-flying staff ahead of Vistara merger.<p>While VRS is for those who have completed five years of service, VSS is for the staff who are yet to complete five-year service at the airline.</p>.<p>The schemes are similar to those offered by the Tata Group-owned Air India earlier this month.</p>.<p>The schemes will not be applicable for pilots, cabin crew and those holding licences for carrying out their duties.</p>.<p>There was no official comment from Vistara on the schemes. The airline started flying in 2015.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, sources had said about 600 non-flying staff of Air India and Vistara are likely to be impacted by the two airlines' mega-merger, and efforts will be made to provide job opportunities to the affected employees within Air India group and Tata companies.</p>.<p>Tata Group-owned loss-making full-service carriers -- Air India and Vistara -- together have more than 23,000 employees.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the fitment exercise -- which involves the evaluation of the roles and responsibilities of staff of both airlines -- in the run-up to the merger has been going on for the past few months. The exercise takes into account an individual's prior experience, performance and other factors.</p>.<p>On May 12, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson, along with Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan, held a one-and-a-half-hour town hall meeting with employees of both carriers about the proposed merger.</p>.<p>At that time, Wilson and Kannan also assured that the fitment, or assignment, of existing employees into the new structure was being done based on merit and competency.</p>.<p>The merger, which will create one of the biggest airline groups, was announced in November 2022. Once the deal is complete, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Vistara is a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and the Tata Group.</p>.<p>In June, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) cleared the merger, and in March, Singapore's competition regulator CCCS gave a conditional nod for the proposed deal.</p>.<p>Earlier in September 2023, the deal received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), subject to certain conditions. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Vistara has offered voluntary retirement as well as voluntary separation schemes for its non-flying staff, ahead of the full service carrier's merger with Air India, according to officials.</p>.<p>A joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines, Vistara has around more than 6,500 employees, including permanent and contract staff.</p>.<p>The Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) have been offered for the non-flying permanent employees. Eligible staff can apply for the schemes till August 23, they said.</p>.Air India rolls out VRS for non-flying staff ahead of Vistara merger.<p>While VRS is for those who have completed five years of service, VSS is for the staff who are yet to complete five-year service at the airline.</p>.<p>The schemes are similar to those offered by the Tata Group-owned Air India earlier this month.</p>.<p>The schemes will not be applicable for pilots, cabin crew and those holding licences for carrying out their duties.</p>.<p>There was no official comment from Vistara on the schemes. The airline started flying in 2015.</p>.<p>Earlier this month, sources had said about 600 non-flying staff of Air India and Vistara are likely to be impacted by the two airlines' mega-merger, and efforts will be made to provide job opportunities to the affected employees within Air India group and Tata companies.</p>.<p>Tata Group-owned loss-making full-service carriers -- Air India and Vistara -- together have more than 23,000 employees.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the fitment exercise -- which involves the evaluation of the roles and responsibilities of staff of both airlines -- in the run-up to the merger has been going on for the past few months. The exercise takes into account an individual's prior experience, performance and other factors.</p>.<p>On May 12, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson, along with Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan, held a one-and-a-half-hour town hall meeting with employees of both carriers about the proposed merger.</p>.<p>At that time, Wilson and Kannan also assured that the fitment, or assignment, of existing employees into the new structure was being done based on merit and competency.</p>.<p>The merger, which will create one of the biggest airline groups, was announced in November 2022. Once the deal is complete, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Vistara is a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and the Tata Group.</p>.<p>In June, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) cleared the merger, and in March, Singapore's competition regulator CCCS gave a conditional nod for the proposed deal.</p>.<p>Earlier in September 2023, the deal received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), subject to certain conditions. </p>