MUMBAI: India’s full-service carrier, Vistara has announced its initiative #PadsOnBoard, whereby it will provide sanitary pads onboard its flights to women travellers on request, starting this International Women’s Day on 8 March 2019. This initiative makes Vistara the first Indian airline to offer sanitary pads on flights within India.

The airline will provide ISO 9001:2015 certified, bio-degradable and organic sanitary napkins made from plant-based fibres that are free of plastic, toxins and perfume.

Recognising the need for this essential amenity, the airline introduced this service to assure women travellers of a comfortable flying experience every time they fly Vistara. Vistara’s cabin crew will make in-flight announcements on all flights to create awareness among travellers that sanitary pads are now available onboard for customers to freely ask for it if they need it.

Commenting on the initiative, senior vice president – HR and corporate affairs Deepa Chadha said: “At Vistara, everything we do stems from the concept of ‘intuitive thoughtfulness’. It is this simple, humane perspective that makes us different from any other airline, and the reason that Vistara is the first choice for air travellers in India today. The initiative to provide sanitary pads to our customers is a meaningful one that reflects our core philosophy that ‘small things make a big difference’. As a woman, I feel a greater sense of pride for being part of an organization that’s providing such an essential amenity to customers – something that will help so many travellers in times of need.”  

The introduction of #PadsOnBoard is part of Vistara’s focus on services and amenities for women travellers, adding to #VistaraWomanFlyer service that was launched in 2017 to provide certain benefits and peace of mind to solo women travelers. Together, these products and services will come under the ‘Vistara for Women’ service umbrella, as Vistara continues to lead the way on this front in India.

Additionally, to celebrate International Women’s Day, all-women crew and pilots will operate retro-themed flights on the #VistaraRetroJet between Delhi and Goa on March 8. The cabin crew on these flights will be dressed in limited-edition retro-style uniforms, and customers will be invited to dress retro as well, and will be welcomed with memorabilia and served special dishes.