Aircraft delay to spoil AI party

New Delhi: It would be a race against time for Air India to begin the first nonstop flight to US, as scheduled, from August 1. Two of the Boeing 777-200 long range aircraft that will be used on this route are now expected to be delivered to the airline only on July 25 and 26. They would reach Delhi amid much fanfare on July 27 and then be sent to Mumbai for preparations of an ultra comfortable flight, AI is promising on this sector.
Interestingly, the first new-generation Airbus A-321 — painted in the livery of the merged AI-IA combine replete with in-flight entertainment systems and AI written on it — was delivered to Indian Airlines some days back. It had its first commercial flight from Mumbai to Delhi on Tuesday. While it is the first of its kind plane in the national airlines’ fleet that boasts of IFE, no official launch was done as the government wants a grand common unveiling ceremony for the Boeing 777, A-321 and a freighter in the new livery later this month. The plane will be used on the Delhi-Mumbai-Trivandrum sector. So far, only Kingfisher has a plane with IFE and IA has become the second carrier to boast of it. IA had ordered 20 A-321s in the order for 43 Airbus. The rest of the order is for four A-320s and 19 A-319s.
12/07/07 Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Air India Jul 2007, Foreign Jul 2007