Bring in regular A-380 services, cut fares: passengers

Mumbai: As the first A-380 aircraft, a 517-seater Emirates Airlines plane, landed in Delhi on Thursday, the Air Passenger Association of India appealed to the civil aviation ministry to allow airlines to operate the plane on a regular basis as it would help bring down international fares.
Some foreign airlines like Emirates and Lufthansa are known to be keen to operate the A-380 but no airline has been granted permission by the civil aviation ministry. “A super jumbo could seat around 500 passengers as against the 180-220 passengers in the aircraft operated currently by most airlines. This will naturally bring air fares down significantly,” said Sudhakar Reddy, president, APAI. Thursday’s flight was only a special ‘proving’ flight.
A DIAL spokesperson said that the Delhi and Hyderabad airports, run by GMR group, are A-380 compliant.
“Airports, including the one at Delhi, still need to undertake upgradation work to meet the requirements if an A-380 has to fly in on a regular basis,” said a ministry official.
According to APAI one of the key reasons why foreign airlines have been denied permission to operate A-380 is to protect the interests of the domestic carriers especially on the Gulf sector.
16/07/10 Ranjani Raghavan/Indian Express

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Categories: Foreign Jul 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Jul 2010