New Delhi, March 21

Aviation major Airbus expects air traffic out of India to grow at over 6.2 per cent annually for the next few years, against the global growth in air traffic at around 4 per cent. The company, which is expecting long-haul flights from India to increase substantially, said it was in talks with all airlines, including the Tata Group, to provide its A350 wide-bodied aircraft.

Air India and Vistara – both owned by the Tata Group – operate wide-bodied aircraft that can fly longer distances non-stop.

Asked specifically if Airbus has initiated talks with the Tata Group to provide A350 900 and A350 1000s, which can fly non-stop for over 17 hours, Rémi Maillard, President of Airbus India and Managing Director of South-Asia region, said: “We are in talks with all airlines.”

The manufacturer currently has a relationship with Tatas through its other airlines (Vistara and Air Asia), while the latter is Airbus’ manufacturing partner for defence products here in India.

Maillard said the wide-bodied fleet in India has “remained stagnant” for both passenger and cargo. Outbound traffic to long-haul destinations are also set to increase. The A350 family, A350 900, A350 1000 and A350F (freighter), is expected to play a pivotal role in bringing about a change, he said.

“As per our estimates, India is expected to witness growth of 6.2 per cent in international air traffic, whereas the global average will be at 3.9 per cent for the next few years,” he said. Majority of long haul market dominance out of India continues to be with foreign carriers.

On Monday, the aircraft manufacturer showcased the A350 family of widebody and the long-range aircraft for both passenger and freighter operations. The aircraft can seat between 300 and over 400 passengers, depending on the configuration, while the A350F will have a payload of 1,000 tonnes. Fuel consumption in the new generation carriers are far lower, leading to at least 20-25 per cent lower operating costs, the company claims.

Globally, Airbus has received 915 orders from 50 customers for different variants of the aircraft.

Published on March 21, 2022