The Hindu Business Line : IA working on re-branding strategy for A-319 arrival

The airline, which is set to become the first Indian operator of the Airbus A-319, is fine-tuning a "re-branding and repackaging" exercise to "showcase'' the new aircraft.

The first of the five leased A-319 aircraft is scheduled to arrive here this month and will become operational either late this month or early next.

The re-branding could also see a new name being given to the fleet of A-319 aircraft. While many names including `India shuttle' have been suggested, no decision has yet been taken, sources said.

"The idea is to emphasise on freshness of the product as the aircraft is mint fresh and IA will be the first operator of the aircraft on Indian routes," sources said.

However, the re-branding exercise will clearly show the link that exists between IA and the fleet of A-319 aircraft that is being operated.

The number of routes on which the new flying experience will be available will go up steadily as the aircraft will be arriving in three batches. Apart from the set arriving this month, the airline plans to induct two A-319 aircraft each in December and April next. The airline plans to operate the A-319 on a variety of routes including flying them to some cities that are currently being served by Boeing aircraft.

While the leased aircraft will seat all 144-seater passengers in the economy class and operate primarily within the country this could change when the airline inducts similar aircraft that it will purchase.

The airline had earlier indicated that it planned to have seating in both business and economy class on the 19 A-319 aircraft that it plans to purchase. The purchase will form part of the multi-billion dollar 43-Airbus acquisition proposal that was announced by the Government recently. The purchased A-319 aircraft could also be used on international routes operated by the airline.

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