September 1, 2018 | 385 words | 2-minute read
Tata SIA Airlines' tribute, named #Retrojet, is an Airbus A320neo with livery that recreates the one used in the 1940s by Tata Air Lines, India’s very first airline that was founded by JRD Tata.
The aircraft also bears the registration VT-ATV that was originally used by a Tata Air Lines DC-3 aircraft. #RetroJet is a celebration of 150 years of the Tata group, and it reclaims for Vistara the space once held by the pioneers of aviation in India, Tata Sons, and the Father of Indian Aviation, JRD Tata.
As part of its celebration, Vistara unveiled special livery adapted from the original, a retro-uniform for select cabin crew, and served up a menu with some of JRD's favourites.
The special livery was created with help from Airbus, which produced CGI renderings to fine-tune the aircraft’s look. In the absence of a colour photograph of Tata Airlines’ original VT-ATV aircraft, Vistara took some artistic liberty to paint its new aircraft in a shimmery silver-gold using mica paint, and giving it a shade of sepia under certain light conditions for the retro look. The colour red was chosen for the name and colour accents, and grey for the cheatlines.
Inspired by the “golden days of aviation” of the 1950s and 60s, the glamorous cabin crew uniforms were designed keeping practicality and industry regulations in mind. The vintage-style uniform is a tailored blouson and semi-shaped skirt in moss crepe (fabric), in soft hues of pale lilac and pastel pink, evocative of Vistara's brand colours. The uniform is accessorised with a beret, white pumps, and a pillbox-shaped vanity bag.
As with Vistara’s regular cabin crew uniform, the retro uniform projects the qualities embodied by the airline’s cabin crew — a sense of style, elegance, warmth, care and professionalism. These uniforms are to be worn on special occasions, beginning with the aircraft’s inaugural flight on 5 September 2018 from Delhi to Mumbai.
Also featured on the inaugural flight was a menu with JRD Tata’s favourite dishes, as remembered by senior chefs at Taj Hotels. Customers were served some delicious Cheddar Cheese and Onion Omelette, Crêpe au Champignon, Meat Medley, Waldorf Salad, Minestrone Soup, Herb Roast Chicken, Goan Prawn Curry and Crème Caramel.
View the slideshow below for a glimpse.
Slideshow
VT-ATV
JRD: The Perfectionist
Inflight service
The retro-cuisine
Retro-Uniforms
