Heavy aircraft a concern for IA

New Delhi: Airlines may be making money by leasing their planes but Indian Airlines can hope for no such solace from its 18-year-old A-320s that keep giving it sleepless nights with frequent hydraulic snags.
The government is finding that given their special wheel configuration - thanks to primitive runways here in 1988-90 when the first batch came - no one would be willing to lease them once the national carrier wants to ease them out of service.
As many as 18 of the 40 A-320s came in the first batch when Indian runways were much shorter and this big plane (by those days’ standards) would have to stop much faster. As a result, IA got Airbus to put four wheel each on either rear side, called bogey wheels, instead of two on each side. This plane was given 10 wheels instead of six (two under nose wheel and two each on either rear side) so that the landing gear was strong enough to ensure the plane stops in time at shorter airstrips.
“Now the possibility of leasing them out is very low as not many are willing to operate with such a heavy landing gear,” said a senior official.
24/07/07 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jul 2007, Indian Jul 2007, Safety Jul 2007