The Hindu Business Line : Air India readies plan to become global co

Hyderabad, Dec. 3 The last aircraft from the current order will arrive four years later, but Air India has already begun thinking about the future, well beyond 2011.

This is part of its plan to become a global airline company in the next few years.

Seeing a huge growth potential in domestic and international air traffic, the public sector carrier is working on a plan that would ensure aircraft deliveries in 2012.

“We have to prepare a growth plan for the period 5-7 years after we receive the last aircraft in December 2011. The plan should ensure that we get aircraft from the beginning of 2012 itself. So we need to firm-up plans now,” Mr V. Thulasidas, Chairman and Managing Director, said.

Passenger plans

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of INFOCOM-2007 here recently, he said the carrier wanted to become a major airline player in the world. “We should be able to attract passengers from SAARC, Africa and Central Asia to fly them to other parts,” he said.

Replying to a question that India lacked a hub of Heathrow’s stature, he said aviation infrastructure development should help the country set up several hubs, supporting the unprecedented growth in the sector.

MROs

Mr Thulasidas has said that the company proposed to float four MROs (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities, one each with Airbus and Boeing and two others for engines and components.

On the integration process of the two merged entities, he said the company had completed integration of the top brass (directors and executive directors). The integration at the second level (general managers and deputy general managers) would be completed by the year end.