Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture, Vistara on Wednesday said that it will provide sanitary pads "on request" to women travellers on domestic flights from International Women's Day on March 8.

As part of the new #PadsOnBoard initiative, female travellers will be provided sanitary organic bio-degradable sanitary napkins to customers upon request from Friday onwards, the company said in a statement.

"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," Vistara said.

From this Friday, the full-service carrier's cabin crew will make in-flight announcements on all flights to create awareness that sanitary pads are now available on board for customers to freely ask for it if they need it.

"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'," said Deepa Chadha, senior vice-president, HR and corporate affairs, Vistara.

"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," Chadha added.

The development comes as aviation authorities are trying to make the industry more women-friendly. Last year, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had started to install sanitary napkin vending machines in airports across the country.

#PadsOnBoard initiative is part of Vistara’s focus on services and amenities for women travellers that comes following the #VistaraWomanFlyer service launched back in 2017.

In addition to this, the carrier will also employ an all-women crew to operate retro-themed flights on the #VistaraRetroJet between Delhi and Goa on Women’s Day, with the crew in retro-uniforms.

Disclosure:

Vistara is one of the four launch partners of CNBC-TV18.com.

First Published:Mar 6, 2019 6:13 PM IST