AI fleet expansion plan may get grounded

The consultative committee of MPs on aviation expressed concerns at the poor utilization of the aircrafts, distorted ratio of aircrafts and crews

sweta-ranjan

Sweta Ranjan | July 22, 2011



The Air India’s much talked about plan for the fleet expansion may not be able to see the light of the day. Blame it on the management of the national carrier which has failed to utilize the number of aircrafts and the crew it owns currently to the maximum.

A senior official of Air India confirms the news that the panel is considering the plan to add 135 planes to make a total fleet of 245 over 10 years and make the airline viable by 2019. A fund infusion of Rs 43,255 crore over 10 years is also needed to attain this viability.

Sources reveal that the consultative committee of MPs on aviation in its meeting on Tuesday also had raised doubts over some of the chapters of turnaround plan. They also expressed concerns at the poor utilization of the aircrafts, distorted ratio of aircrafts and crews.

The 27 Dreamliners dream of the aviation ministry is also being objected by some members of the panel as the cash strapped national carrier is sick and debt-ridden. The ministry is mulling over even cancelling the deal of the Dreamliners if the situation does not turn favourable for the ailing Maharaja.

27 Dreamliners were a part of a deal of value Rs 50,000 crore for 111 new planes during UPA-1. AI which demanded for a compensation of $840 million for a two-year delay in delivery of the Dreamliners is sadly thinking over all possible ways not the undertake the delivery of the aircraft (the first plan is expected to be delivered in October this year).

Comments

 

Other News

How social media is reshaping elections

Since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections in 1985, no candidate who finished second in the first round of polling had ever won the presidency. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, now 81, has just done it. What explains the comeback, and what changed in Brazilian politics to make it possi

Cabinet approves Dearness Allowance, Dearness Relief

The union cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from 01.07.2026 representing an increase of 3% over the existing rates of 6

Cyclone Arnab strikes Andhra as warming oceans amplify storm risks

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts in the early hours of Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. Its rapid intensification has raised concerns about how warmer oceans, global warmin

Counting matters but which ones?

The first instinct of public policy is to count. Its harder task is to count what counts. We have become remarkably good at measuring the reach of the welfare state vis-à-vis beneficiaries covered, rupees transferred, houses built, connections installed and services delivered. But some of the most

Inching closer to a trade deal with America

The cooperation between India and the United States goes back quite a time. We need to relegate that era to the backburner when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited US in the times of president Dwight Eisenhower and called the American let-off of 10 million dollars in defence aid to Pakistan as a “gun w

Manch vs Musk: Forty people and a foreign billionaire

About forty people walked the roundabout on Teen Murti Marg to the gate of Chanakyapuri police station, a distance you could cover in under a minute, on Friday to protest against Elon Musk’s Starlink. The walk was called by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. Nobody joined them on the way, and nobody seeme

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter