The civil aviation ministry is planning to submit a proposal to the Planning Commission to seek fresh approval for purchasing around 60 aircraft for National Aviation Company, the new merged entity of Indian Airlines and Air India. This new order will be over and above the $10-billion order for 111 planes comprising 68 Boeing and 43 Airbus aircraft placed by the two companies in 2005-06.
Speaking at a function to inaugurate the new fleet of Air India (the brand name of the merged entity), civil aviation minister Praful Patel asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his support in the acquisition of new aircraft. ?For future growth we will have to revisit the entire exercise (of acquiring new aircraft) within a few years and I urge the PM to look into this,? he said.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Air India CMD V Thulasidas said, ?In the next 2-3 years, we will replace all old aircraft with new ones. With the long-range Boeing 777s and 787s, we will soon have more non-stop flights to the US and other parts of the world.? According to him, the new 60 aircraft would be of all sizes depending on demands from different segments.
?The new fleet has come at an opportune time when the market for air travel is rapidly expanding,? the Prime Minister said, adding that Air-India should again regain the top slot as a leading global carrier. ?And you have our support for that,? he said.
From August 1, Air-India is starting non-stop flights to New York from Mumbai on the recently acquired Boeing 777-200s. Non-stop Delhi-New York operations are also likely to start by year-end.