Page 19 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2014 Online Magazine

FEATURE INDIA

present and is pulling out the super jumbo
airplane from other routes to operate
them to India.
“At present only four airports -- Delhi,
Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore have
the required infrastructure for operations
of the world’s largest passenger aircraft,”
a Ministry of Civil Aviation official says.
I P Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi
International Airport (P) Ltd says, “We
enjoy a close relationship with Singapore
Airlines and the carrier remains a valued
customer of our airport. A scheduled A380
service connecting Delhi to Singapore
daily demonstrates Delhi’s emergence as
a true world-class airport, supporting the
world’s largest passenger commercial
aircraft. Delhi was the first major airport
in India to be A380 ready and today, I am
SIA to Fly In A380s to India on its historic inaugural flight.”
glad to welcome Singapore Airlines A380
India last April concluded seat
enhancement talks with Abu Dhabi,
Emirates and Lufthansa also keen to bring in the hiking the bilateral weekly seat quota
jumbo. By Jay Menon from 13,000 to 50,000. Both sides agreed
to allocate an additional entitlement of
36,670 seats per week spread over a
singaPorE airlinEs will bE thE first fearing that the local carriers, which period of three years - 11,000 seats per
carrier to fly Airbus A380 to India after are already bleeding financially, won’t week in 2013, 12,800 seats a week up to
the government lifted a ban on operating be able to compete with foreign airlines the winter schedule for 2014 and 12,870
these jumbo aircraft to the world’s second operating the aircraft and will lose traffic. seats a week up to the winter schedule for
populous country. Authorities also felt allowing A380 to land 2015.
“We have been keen to operate the in the country may stretch the existing India also revised its bilateral Air
Airbus A380 to India and are glad that the infrastructure at airports. Service Agreement with Singapore which
Air Services Agreement between Singapore So far foreign airlines could serve the allowed increase of 2,160 seats per week,
and India now allows us to do so,” says country using aircraft not bigger than a about 10 per cent, for the Singapore-
Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Boeing 747. based carriers.
Marketing Planning, Lee Wen Fen. “The decision (to remove the restriction) Nine out of 10 airlines flying the
The airline’s A380 super jumbo will has been taken after due consultations Airbus A380 such as Singapore Airlines,
operate daily to both Mumbai and New with the Directorate General of Civil Emirates, Qantas and Lufthansa operate
Delhi with effect from May 30, replacing Aviation (DGCA), national carrier Air India flights to India.
two daily flights that currently serve each and Airports Authority of India,” a ministry But till recently none of the Indian
city using smaller Boeing 777s. Another official informs. airports were capable of handling an
daily flight will continue to be operated Emirates and Lufthansa are also aircraft of that size.
with B777s. In total, 14 flights will serve interested in operating A380s in India on Rajeev Jain, CEO - MIAL said, “It’s an
each city per week. various international routes. honour and a privilege to host the arrival
“India is a particularly important Under India’s rules, A380s will be of Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at CSIA,
market for Singapore Airlines and we are allowed to land at the country’s four main Mumbai. Scheduling of A380 services further
very pleased that more of our customers airports - New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore demonstrates Mumbai’s emergence as a
will soon be able to experience the and Hyderabad - which are equipped to world-class airport, which now supports
spaciousness and comfort of the world’s handle the planes. routes to established and emerging
largest aircraft,” the official says. The A380 can carry more than 800 markets across the globe. We congratulate
India had barred the world largest passengers in a single-class configuration. Singapore Airlines on the launch of its daily
commercial aircraft to fly into the country Singapore Airlines has 19 A380s at Airbus A380 service at Mumbai.”
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