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The first of the new generation Airbus A320 aircraft on order joined the Air India fleet today, with the arrival of a mint fresh aircraft at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, where India Aviation 2010, India’s first civilian air show is on. The aircraft also becomes the 74th own aircraft of the 111 on order, to join Air India’s fleet.
After being accorded a ceremonial landing, the aircraft was received by Mr Praful Patel, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Mr K.Rosaiah, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, in the presence of an august gathering of guests and mediapersons from all over the world, attending the air show. The aircraft will be on display at the air show for visitors. Soon after the landing, a formal handing over ceremony saw Dr Kiran Rao, Executive Vice-President, Airbus, transferring the title of the aircraft to Mr Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India. The 140-seater A320 aircraft has a twin-class configuration – 20 seats in Executive Class and 120 seats in Economy Class. The cabin is spacious and the seats are wide and comfortable. The two by two abreast seats in Executive Class have a seat pitch each of 40 inches. In Economy Class, the three by three abreast seats each offer a pitch of 32/31 inches. Like all the other new Airbus aircraft in the fleet, the A320 aircraft comes equipped with the Thales i3000 entertainment system. Passengers flying the new A320 can look forward to a wide range of audio-visual entertainment like Hindi and regional movies, variety programmes and different types of music. The A320 aircraft is fitted with the advanced Weather Radar System, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and the LCD cockpit display system. The aircraft is also equipped with the state-of-the-art digital cabin management system. Air India has on order 43 Airbus aircraft – 20 A321, 19 A319 and four A320. Of these, 40 aircraft have now been received – 19 A321, 19 A319 and one A320. The remaining A320 and A321 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by April this year. The airline also has on order 68 Boeing aircraft of which 35 -- eight B777-200LR, nine B777-300ER, and 18 B737-200 (for low cost airline Air India Express) -- have been delivered so far. (c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 04-Mar-10 |
Air India Airbus 320 lands at India Aviation 
