Air India readies schedule to reduce fleet

New Delhi: To bring down its aircraft strength of 133 to 95, National Aviation Company Ltd (Nacil), which runs Air India, has worked out a combination of leasing, selling and phasing out of its existing fleet.
Under the plan, the heavily loss-making airline will sell five aircraft, put on lease another seven and return 16 leased big aircraft and five narrow-body ones, in phases by January 2011. This will bring down the fleet strength to 95.
Among the seven aircraft the airline will lease, three will be new Boeing 777-200LR and four cargo planes. The airline is also to receive delivery of eight aircraft of the same make.
Of the 16 leased aircraft to be returned, three are Boeing planes used for VIP operations and four are Boeing 777-200ER, to be let go at one each in March, May and August 2010 and in January 2011.
Other Boeing aircraft include four B777-300ER aircraft to go in the second quarter of the next financial year and three Boeing 777-200, the first to be let go in the first quarter in FY10 and two in the second quarter. The list also has two Airbus 310-300, one each to go in March and May 2010 ,and five narrow-body aircraft.
The airline also intends to sell three Boeing 747-400 after the Haj operations in January 2010 and two A310 Cargo planes.
27/10/09 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Categories: NACIL Oct 2009