Airbus hopes to sell 55 A380s in India in 20 years

Mumbai: European aeroplane maker Airbus Industrie hopes to sell 55 of its A380 planes, including 10 freighter aircraft, in India in 20 years.
A source close to the development said low-fare carrier Air Deccan, domestic carrier Jet Airways and state-owned Air India and Indian Airlines have evinced interest in the A380.
Thus far, Kingfisher is the only Indian carrier seeking the plane, which has 853 seats in an all-economy configuration and 475-525 in a three-class configuration.
Airbus is hoping that even budget carriers and short-distance fliers will be able to see the cost benefits of flying a large number of passengers in one plane.
Boeing operators beg to differ. “Operating the A380 would be too costly and not viable for a budget carrier. This airplane is designed for long-haul services,” said an executive with an airline that runs a predominantly Boeing fleet.
An airport executive said no airports was ready to handle commercial flights of A380. “Airports will have to invest heavily to become compatible with A380. Moreover, there could be natural restrictions to other carriers when an A380 is taking off. This will shoot up the cost of carriers and increase delays at airports,” he added.
09/05/07 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

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Categories: Foreign May 2007, General Aviation May 2007, New May 2007