Foreign airlines may soon get nod to fly Airbus A380 into India
Aviation minister says a committee will study how the aircraft can be allowed without stretching the infrastructure
New Delhi: Foreign airlines are likely to be allowed to fly Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft, into India with the aviation ministry setting up a group to study and decide time slots for the aircraft at local airports.
Nine airlines, including Etihad Airways PJSC, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, operate the wide-body, double-deck jets, which can seat as many as 525 passengers.
“They are all asking for it," said civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, referring to a slew of foreign airlines wanting to fly the jumbo jet into India’s modernized airports such as Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. Singh said he sees no reason why the A380 should not be allowed to fly in India.
With India allowing foreign direct investments in airline and Etihad buying a 24% stake in Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the government is likely to favour greater access to newer aircraft, said analysts.
A potential clearance for A380 could also clash with Air India Ltd’s international plans with its new Boeing Dreamliner 787s.
The airline’s chairman Rohit Nandan said in April Air India would fly to new cities, including Rome, Milan, Birmingham, Melbourne and Sydney, in the next five months using the 787s, a first in over a decade.
“When a fourfold increase in capacity has been signed off (to Abu Dhabi) stating that passengers will benefit, they might as well give the benefit of the latest aircraft to the passengers," said Mohan Ranganathan, a Chennai-based aviation safety consultant. “However, is our infrastructure ready in case of a diversion of an A380 to another airport? That will be the biggest hurdle."
India should open A380 to one and all, said Shakti Lumba, formerly vice-president with Air India and IndiGo.
“I have never understood why any aircraft is kept out. The last one was the Concorde. Restrictions killed an excellent airplane," he said.
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