The delivery Schedule (between Nov 2006 and Aug 2007) is as follows:
AI Express 737-800 : 2 in Nov/Dec 06, 3 in Jan 07, 1 each in Feb, May 07, 2 in Aug 07.
AI 777-200LR: 1 each in Feb,Mar, Apr 07
AI 777-300ER: 1 each in Jun, Jul, Aug 07
In total, 15 aircrafts in one year time from now are going to join AI family. Did anyone of you hear any concrete Route plan made for these birds? Any decent airline would have come up by now with their route plan (some of them even announce thier new routes one year in advance) but Air India does not belong to that category. I guess they are still struggling with the present (to maintain their schedule despite frequent snags).
Does anyone of you have any reliable news? Especially with AI Express?
I am not sure whether AI will be able to introduce any new routes so soon. A lot of it's leased aircrafts are to returned by the end of this year and or by the end of 2007.
VT-AIC and VT-AID will be returned to KE by end of 2006. VT-AIE and VT-AIF are to returned by the end of 2007. Even the leased B777-200ERs are to be returned next year end.
Unless AI is able to take some more aircraft on lease immediately, the new aircraft would merely be replacing the ones being returned to the lessors.
We should not forget that AI own only 6 B747-400s and 8 A310s. Again two of the A310s are due for freighter conversion.
PALatYWG u read my mind the same question was in my mind for a long time...
They have ordered more aircrafts than they operate now it means that the leased ones and the A310s fleet goes out... So where will they operate these aircrafts
For eg. AI currently operates 19 A310s (pls correct if wrong) and the have ordered 27 B787-8s so where will the other 8 aircrafts fly?
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Add two 747-300 Combis (VT-EPW, VT-EPX) to the list, which AI plans to operate for a couple more years. That makes it a total of 16 owned aircraft presently.
himmat01 wrote:
We should not forget that AI own only 6 B747-400s and 8 A310s. Again two of the A310s are due for freighter conversion.
Isn't AI looking at wet leasing a few WB to operate new routes. That should give an indication then, no point declaring the routes without the lift. lose the advt over the competition..............
Atleast 2 non stops to US will be added in addition to exisiting serv asap with the new fleet, that should take care of 4 a/c.
First they need to hire some undergraduates from any correspondence school in India to fix their crappy website before they can announce where they will be flying their new planes, becase even someone with a computer associates degree from Chinchpoklee College of Chaar Aaana Computers can do a better job than the idiots they have now.
All that you hear from Air India is how they are going to upgrade their service by purchasing new "crockery" and how their FAs are being given grooming tips. WTF? Spraying perfume on a cow still makes it a cow, and who cares if the "crockery" on board has an ethic pattern? Its still a babu airline, and will always be a babu airline. I'll bet $ 1000 that even with their new 777s and their supposed AVOD IFE, etc., in less than a year the IFE will be non-functional, the laptop ports broken, and the seats even in J class in tatters.
Their SQ leased aircraft which have the capability for multiple channel IFE only had one lousy grainy Bollywood flick playing on all channels last year, and this was in Business Class. If SQ can make it work, why can't AI? On the return flight, the Korean Air leased aircraft with the new J class seats had broken seats that wouldn't recline, audio channels that were non-functional and lavatories that looked like a communal loo in a Dharavi slum. And this was J Class.
Either no one in management gives a sh*t, or their cabin maintenance staff and engineers are duffers and jhunglees who barely passed their SSC.
Jaysit, to your $1000 I add another $1000, that IFE in their new 777 will be dated as compared to what the likes of SQ\EK have or will have by then.
The problem is that they always think about catching up, why not for once think about setting the standard????
Thats one reason I really want IT to do well. VJM once remarked, "Kingfisher will set standards that SQ will look up to." People might think thts a crazy statement. But then if you dont dream, how can they come true!
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Guys i bet another $1000 with you. Totally true Jaysit everyone agrees with you. They will have the IFEs damaged, Laptop ports missing, PTVs stolen...............
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