Admitting that privately-owned airline companies in the country are the only ones currently adding to capacity, Airbus officials said that they are keen to tap this rapidly growing sector.

Airbus officials are slated to meet Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines to make a series of presentations on Airbus aircraft in the coming few months.

"The Indian private airlines are important to us. We plan to familiarise them with our latest products" Airbus Industrie product marketing director Colin Evans said.

Briefing a group of visiting Indian journalists, David Velupillai, regional manager, press relations, said that when private airlines launched services in India very few second-hand Airbus aircraft were available in the market. This made many of them purchase Boeing aircraft.

As airlines find it more economical to continue flyingaircraft of the same manufacturer, even the orders for new aircraft from Jet Airways have gone to Boeing.

Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 18 Boeing 737 aircraft. It recently ordered a batch of new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Sahara Airline's fleet also consists of six Boeing aircraft.

The Toulouse-based European Consortium, which grabbed 50 per cent of all new aircraft orders from around the world in 1998, plans to increase its presence in this Boeing-dominated area.

Meanwhile, Airbus continues to be upbeat on the market represented by the state-run Indian Airlines (IA) and Air India (AI) despite the fact that both these airlines do not have funds to purchase new aircraft. The Air India managing director had emphasised recently that the question was now of survival of the airline rather than of expansion.

"We are sure that IA and AI need new aircraft to survive. Whenever they order new aircraft, Airbus will be there to meet their requirements" Velupillai said.

Airbus officials said that itwas unsafe for airlines to fly aircraft which are older than 20 years. However, the aircraft manufacturer was not in a position to give directions to airlines on aircraft safety. "This is the work of the respective aviation authorities" Velupillai said.

Incidentally, both IA and AI have fleets which are ageing rapidly. Several aircraft of IA and AI will complete 20 years of flying in the next year or so.

However, the state-run airlines, which are short of cash, have not been able to find means to finance their fleet replacement plans. A Rs 125-crore financial bail-out to IA promised by the government is yet to come through.

Air India has petitioned the government for a Rs 1,000cr financial package to ensure its survival. The AI plan is still in the stage of formulation and it is unlikley that the centre, which is trying hard to rein in its fiscal deficit, will make this dole.

Airbus Industrie, which has a 50 per cent share in the fleets of the state-run airlines, is pitching its latest Airbus A330-200 for Air India. The A 330-200 can fly non-stop to London from Delhi. It also has the advantage of having an 8-abreast seat arrangement. For IA, Airbus has offered its A 318 aircraft.