The first civilian airshow in Hyderabad was a hit for political reasons but not for big orders. As India Aviation 2008 came to a close, blame it on economic crisis, no big orders were sealed from the behemoths such as the Boeing or Airbus. While this was more a civilian show, a careful wait and watch is being observed by the industry watchers to sign more deals. However, for the commoners, it is still a big hit to view a range from Boeing 777 300 ER to ultra light aircraft SportStar Plus. Though there were no allies in the skies, it had its effect for about 35-odd CEOs to come together and chart a growth map for the aviation industry.
While big aircraft like Boeing 777 and Airbus 319, which were inducted into Air India fleet at the venue, were claimed to be the star attractions, small aircraft like IL-114 from Uzbekistan, 10-feet long and four-feet wide Sport Star Plus of Czech Republic company Evektor-Aerotechnik and eight and six-seater Hawker caught everybody?s attention. CRJ900 NextGen, Learjet 60 XR, Challenger 605 and Global Express XRS, all from Bombardier, Gulfstream and Beechcraft were a few among the star attractions. Not to leave behind a range of helicopters which added more colours to the display range.
More than 200 exhibitors from leading aviation and allied industries from around the world including Airbus, Boeing, EADS, HAL, BES, Rolls Royce, Engine Alliance, Cessna Aircraft Co, Bell Helicopter, Textron, ATR and Bombardier displayed their products at the show. The big hit on the tarmac was the showcase of A380 which, according to Dr Kiran Rao, is well-suited for the Indian market as it can transport more people with fewer flights.
However, there were some deals by the airliners to position their base in the country.?For instance, Engine Alliance, a 50:50 joint venture of Pratt & Whitney and General Electric Aviation works for GP7200 engine powering the A380, is strengthening its strong roots in India. And for this, Hyderabad-based Infotech Enterprises? Engineering Services team works to create high quality designs and reduce the weight of parts for GP7200.?Engine Alliance member company GE Aviation has one of the largest research facilities in India. The John F Welch Technology Center in Bangalore employs over 4,000 advanced researchers who work with global teams to develop advanced technology products.?
Another deal was the case of Taj Air and Piaggio Aero Industries S.p.A. The agreement says that Taj Air would become the exclusive distributor of the P180 Avanti II for India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Mauritius.?Taj Air will promote, distribute and service Piaggio Aero Aircraft.?Taj Air will also become the first Piaggio Aero authorised service centre in India. The authorisation allows Taj Air service centre to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul services to P180 Avanti II aircraft.?The agreement represents a long-term commitment to satisfying Piaggio Aero customers by offering a professional Avanti II aircraft dealer network, a convenient and efficient aircraft support and first class service. The establishment of the Avanti II service centre will be at the Taj Air Main facility located at the Mumbai International Airport. Taj Air is a Tata Company. . ?
Bombardier Aerospace is planning to set up a regional customer support office in India by 2009. According to David M Dixon, regional vice president, Asia Pacific, Business Aircraft, Aerospace, ?India is a very significant and important market for us. So we are looking at having a customer support service in the country. We are yet to determine the exact location. But it will definitely be closer to the place where we get bulk orders. Our idea is to get closer to the customers?. The company already has such offices in Sydney, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo, etc. Further, it presented its NextGen regional jet, CRJ900, which is claimed to be one of the largest advanced regional jets in production.
And the big hit for the state-owned carrier was an MoU signed between NACIL and EADS of France for an MRO facility. This apart, Jeppesen, a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary, is planning to open an office in Hyderabad by early 2009 to provide flight critical services.