Air India has sought aircraft manufacturer Airbus's help to increase the life of its ageing A320 fleet by 10 years, drawing strong criticism from pilots who have expressed concerns. The pilots say the 26-year-old aircraft are prone to technical snags.
Senior Air India officials confirmed that competition from low-cost rivals such as Indigo, which operate a much younger fleet of A320s, has forced the airline to approach Airbus.
"The idea is to understand if the life of an aircraft can be increased as a temporary measure, without affecting any safety aspect," a board member of the national carrier said, requesting anonymity. Airbus spokesperson Justin Dubon admitted that the move was aimed at addressing a short-term requirement. In a letter to regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) representing pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines in the now combined entity Air India, said the classic A320 aircraft were one of the oldest in the world and were being operated with repetitive snags endangering flight safety.
16/07/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
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Senior Air India officials confirmed that competition from low-cost rivals such as Indigo, which operate a much younger fleet of A320s, has forced the airline to approach Airbus.
"The idea is to understand if the life of an aircraft can be increased as a temporary measure, without affecting any safety aspect," a board member of the national carrier said, requesting anonymity. Airbus spokesperson Justin Dubon admitted that the move was aimed at addressing a short-term requirement. In a letter to regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) representing pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines in the now combined entity Air India, said the classic A320 aircraft were one of the oldest in the world and were being operated with repetitive snags endangering flight safety.
16/07/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
