NEW DELHI • Indian airline Vistara is in talks with planemakers and leasing companies to delay taking delivery of some aircraft, the carrier's chief commercial officer said on Monday, as Covid-19 hits demand for air travel.

Vistara, owned by India's Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, placed an order for 13 A-320neo family aircraft from Airbus in 2018 and said it would take another 37 Airbus planes from leasing companies - all due for delivery between last year and 2023.

It also has six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wide-body planes on order, primarily for international flights, due to be delivered this year and next.

Delivery of some planes has already been pushed back due to logistics issues and production delays at the planemakers, as countries went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Vistara chief commercial officer Vinod Kannan told reporters.

"We are looking to see how we can push back some of the deliveries not just because of the delays in production, but also from a commercial perspective," he said.

Vistara, which has a fleet of 41 aircraft, will take delivery of at least one Boeing 787 and two other planes this calendar year, he said, adding that a final decision had not been reached on how many deliveries would be deferred.

While India has allowed airlines to fly up to 45 per cent of their capacity on domestic routes, international flights are still banned.

Vistara is operating on domestic routes with a third of its fleet and at a passenger load factor of 50 per cent to 60 per cent, Mr Kannan said, adding that the airline is preparing to fly to international destinations later this year, if curbs are relaxed and demand returns.

REUTERS