The Hindu Business Line : Jet makers eye piece of action in India

Whatever the current scenario, leading manufacturers of jets such as Bombardier of Canada and Embraer of Brazil are quite upbeat about the long-term business potential in the country.

Bombardier, which has sold about 10 of its jets to Indian customers — Air India and JetLite — made a big pitch in front of a large presence at the four-day India Aviation Meet 2008.

It had its range of jets lined up for customers and also flew them for the experience-seekers.

The Canadian company is offering its CRJ NextGen class of regional jets, which, it claims, has reduced fuel consumption and airframe direct maintenance costs, resulting in lower trip operating costs.

‘Green Machine’

With larger windows, more leg space, redesigned ceiling panels and LED lights, the CRJ class burns up 4 per cent less fuel than competition and produces up to 35 per cent less carbon dioxide, making it a “Green Machine”, a Bombardier spokesperson told a group of journalists at the aviation meet.

The company sees a huge potential in the 110- to 149-seater jet aircraft, especially in the growing Asia-Pacific region. It sees a projected demand for around 1,550 jets in this class from the region in the next two decades, and India could be a major buyer.

Embraer, on the other hand, foresees a global demand for about 7,500 jets in the 30- to 120-seat segment in the next 20 years, with an estimated market value of $235 billion. The strength of these aircraft is 4,724.

Study on Scope

In the Indian market, the Brazilian company, which has come out with a market outlook report for 2008-2027, said for narrow body aircraft there is a large number of medium-density cities with low service levels, offering good scope for the 70- to 120-seat jets. New aviation policies are also encouraging the development of more regional services, which improve domestic network connectivity.

The demand from corporate honchos, high net-worth individuals and small airline companies for the jets is growing, said Mr Jose Orlando Nato, Managing Director of the company, which has sold commercial jets to Paramount and Star Aviation in India.

Even the National Aerospace Laboratory, Bangalore, is talking about a regional transport aircraft. It has already developed Hansa and SARAS, the limited seater aircraft. While Hansa can be used for training, SARAS is a potential carrier for courier firms for short hauls.