Change the fleet

After the dissolution of the joint board of Indian Airlines and Air India on Friday, December 11, 1998, the ownership and responsibility ...

After the dissolution of the joint board of Indian Airlines and Air India on Friday, December 11, 1998, the ownership and responsibility to run the two airlines has now squarely passed on to the Government of India. In fact, whereas P. C. Sen was the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet-appointed CMD of Indian Airlines and Ministry of Civil Aviation nominated non-executive Chairman of Air India, the new incumbents of both Air India and Indian Airlines (P. V. Jaikrishnan and Anil Baijal) draw their salary, status and position by virtue of being the Secretary and Joint Secretary respectively of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Thus, the task of running the national carriers has become more onerous on the part of the GoI. The task is likely to grow more difficult as the existing fleet of the national carriers attain the stature of senior citizenship in the sky.

The prospects of flying high and clear becomes grim as the Indian Airlines with its fleet of 53 aircraft (11 Airbus-300, 30 Airbus 320, 12 Boeing-737)face a brand new fleet of 27 Boeing 737 aircraft of Jet Airways. One needs only to look into the induction record of the sarkari Indian Airlines and the private Jet Air. The last new Indian Airlines Airbus-320 aircraft was introduced on September 27, 1994, and the latest jet Boeing 737-800 (VT-JND) arrived in India on January 18, 1999. Not only that. Eight out of 27 aircraft of Jet’s Boeings were manufactured in 1998. Compare this with the old aircraft of Indian Airlines. The trunk route workhorse of India Airlines Airbus A-300 consist of VT-ELW (aged 22 years, 10 months), VT-EDW (22 years, three months) and VT-EDY (20 years, 10 months). The modern passenger jet’s useful lifecycle is 50,000 flying hours or 20,000 cycles (one cycle means one take off and one touch down).

Thus Indian Airlines is left with only 30 Airbus-320 which could be considered to be comparatively new, neat and clean. However, even those new machines are nearing 10 years, as the 15 aircraft were manufactured and delivered in1989.

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Clearly, an uneven competition in the domestic air is taking place between the GoI’s pride Indian Airlines (which is nearing 50 years) and a nascent private airlines which started in May 5, 1993. The question is, can this drift be allowed to take place? If so, at whose cost?In the international scene, however, the environment for Air India appears beyond redemption! With only six new Boeing 747-400 and a comparatively middle-aged eight Airbus 310-300.

Today Air India basks under the glory of its past. Air India is picking up more domestic passengers than Indian Airlines in certain sectors and instead of competing in the international sector, it is indulging in a price war with the domestic carriers in the trunk routes. The situation is deteriorating as the megas like British and Lufthansa, Singapore and Delta, Air France and Swiss Air make the life of Air India difficult. The incident of Air India’s latest Boeing 747-400 at Frankfurt airport approach is a grim reminder to the paucity of aircraft ininternational routes. The grounding of new Jumbo in Frankfurt has literally thrown Air India’s lucrative Western market out of gear as the airworthiness of its old flying machines cannot match the efficiency of the new Jumbo 400.

The need of the hour is a quick and transparent decision for a new fleet. It is long overdue, and any further delay will only ensure the death knell of Air India and Indian Airlines, and substitution of the former monopolist Indian Airlines with another prospective monopolist, the private-owned Jet Airways.

The author is alumnus of the National Defence College of India