NEW DELHI, Feb 17: Not to be left behind, Indigo and other Indian airlines
are planning to acquire a larger number of aircraft following the mega deal
of Air India with Boeing and Airbus early this week. They are reportedly going
to place orders for around 1,200 aircraft in the course of the next year, beating
Air India's record of 470, it is learnt.
However, an aviation agency has warned against a repetition of the situation
when several aircraft had to be grounded due to shortage of crew during 2005-2008
and even recently. Besides the demand for crew like pilots, engineers and air
traffic controllers, airport capacity and airspace availability also need to
be taken into account while deploying a large number of aircraft.
Air India will need 6,500 more pilots for 470 planes being bought new in a
mega deal with Airbus and Boeing, according to sources. Currently it has a fleet of 113 aircraft and even with 1,600 pilots the airline is facing a shortage to operate them. Air India subsidiaries Air India Express and AirAsia India together have 850 pilots
for their 54 planes while Air Vistara has 600 pilots for 53 planes it has. Widebody
A-350 will require 30 pilots per plane used for long haul while a Boeing widebody
777 needs 26 pilots. An Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 Max
requires 12 pilots. Pilot requirements vary depending on the weight and length
of the plane as well as the nature of operation.
According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), India is emerging
as a major global aviation market. “India is, perhaps, on the cusp of a long-
awaited and historic change...it may finally be set to take its place as the
global aviation market of the 21st century," it said.
Tata Group-owned Air India is buying 470 planes for which orders have been
placed with Boeing and Airbus manufacturers. The mega deal is worth over $80
billion. The first batch of the planes in the deal will arrive by year-end and
the last in 2032.
In the largest-ever deal announced on Tuesday, 250 planes will be Airbus that
includes 210 single-aisle A-320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 widebody A-350- 900/1000
while 220 planes will come from Boeing, 190 of them 737 Max, 20 Dreamliner 787-9s
and 10 777s. Airbus 350 and Boeing 777-9 are widebody for long haul.
It is also reported that the mega deal has an option to buy 370 more planes
from the aviation majors in the next decade. Air India's current fleet has over
100 planes comprising of Airbus A319, A320, A320 neo, A321 as well as Boeing
777 and Boeing 787.
Hailing the deal, French President Emmanuel Macron said “The contract that
Airbus and Tata Sons signed this morning marks a new stage in India and France’s
strategic partnership."
US President Biden said the sale of over 200 Boeing aircraft will support over
a million jobs in the US and help Air India meet its transportation demands.
Secret negotiations for the mega deal were going on for about a year. With
the deal finally done in talks at London on Tuesday, Air India can look forward
to taking a top slot in international aviation. While India's largest airline
IndiGo has around 500 planes, US' American Airlines has over 900 planes. Airlines
in India have over 600 Airbus and Boeing planes flying at present.
Tatas had regained the ownership of loss-making State-run Air India in a process
of privatisation last year. The Government had taken over the airline, which
originally belonged to the Tatas, in early 1950s soon after India's Independence.
Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement, “This order
is an important step in realising Air India’s ambition to offer a world-class
proposition serving global travellers with an Indian heart. These new aircraft
will modernise the Airline’s fleet and onboard product, and dramatically expand
its global network.”
He said, "Air India is not just another airline. It is a national project.
It holds the hopes and aspirations of millions of people."
Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson, who opened a new chapter in
space age last month by launching the first manned private flight
to the edge of space, flying in his own spaceplane, has
invited everyone to join his expedition of space travel and
experience the thrill of totally losing your weight (BMI = 0) and enjoy
the mind-blowing sight of the earth's curvatures from the orbit far above: 
Can we ask the vaccinator, "Do you pull back the plunger and
then push the vaccine? Do you Aspirate?" When the vaccination
for covid started there were reports of worrisome incidents of
adverse events post immunisation, the serious complaints being
non-specific blood clots. These related to viral vector vaccines of
human and non-human source: AstraZeneca and Janssen. How
did it happen. There are various views. But here is a suggestion
how simply it can be prevented. 
While the rationalists debunk the episode as a ploy to make up for
the losses in offerings during the corona lockdown, the believers
stick to their claim, they have seen it after all! The claim of
Shankaralinga temple resembles the miracle of Ganesha drinking
milk in Delhi way back in 1995. Although they belong to two
different branches of science. 
A pair of socks gifted to her by her niece displayed on her legs has done
the job for Gumball Poodle. The demand for 'Future is Female' is
skyrocketing indeed. What more could one ask for?
