Airliners-India

behramjee

During the weekend whilst doing some research, I came across an interesting aircraft called the Airbus A 330-200HGW (High Gross Weight) and its performance capabilities. It has already gotten its first launch customer i.e. Korean Air that has ordered 6 of the type in Feb 2009. Airbus has projected that this aircraft will be a direct competitor to the Boeing 787-800 and is targeting orders from airlines that have been severely effected by its delivery delays. A key component to Airbus's advantage with this aircraft is that any airline that orders it will take delivery of it within 18 months time which is highly attractive.

According to stats available, the A 332HGW can fly nonstop with a full payload of passengers + cargo up to a range of 7000NM (12,800KM). This means that the aircraft can easily fly from the GCC nonstop to PER/ORD, from DEL to SYD/MEL, from ICN to IAH/ORD and from EZE to FRA/MXP/CDG. Hence the purpose of this part of the newsletter is meant to suggest to few airlines why they should seriously consider the A 332HGW for quick delivery within 18 months time and on what routes they would be best served to be utilized on.

For all airlines, the configuration should be 248 seats max in a 2 class configuration i.e. 24 J (2-2-2) + 224 Y (2-4-2). The airlines that should seriously consider ordering the A 332HGW are as follows:

Air India:

launch DEL-SYD/MEL nonstop
launch BOM-JNB-DUR-BOM
replace A 310 on BOM-NBO sector.
replace the B 77L on CDG and NRT routes.
launch HYD-FRA-IAD 3 weekly
launch DEL-ATQ-BHX 4 weekly
launch MAA-FRA-IAH 4 weekly

Kuwait Airways; it can replace its entire A 343, AB6 and A 310 fleet and be used also for:

KWI-MNL nonstop which would replace current service flown via BKK
launch KWI-IAD nonstop
launch KWI-YYZ nonstop (for which KU has authority to do so twice a week only though according to 2007 bilateral).
launch KWI-PEK nonstop

Egypt Air; A 332HGWs can be used to:

launch CAI-ORD nonstop.
launch CAI-IAH nonstop.
replace A 342s on NRT sector.
replace B 777 to YUL in the summer.

Royal Jordanian:

A 332HGWs can easily replace entire A 342 fleet and be used to operate all current USA-AMMAN nonstop flights along with YUL and upcoming AMM-HKG nonstop. FYI, A 332HGW pax capacity is same as A 342.

Ethiopian Airlines:

launch ADD-PEK nonstop
launch ADD-BKK nonstop
*both these routes were ear marked for the B 787

Sri Lankan Airlines:

Can be used to fully replace its entire A 343 and A 332 fleet as the A 332HGW can fly to LHR easily nonstop from CMB which is UL's flagship route. It can also be used to launch new nonstop flights from CMB to Australia and replace older aircraft to NRT.

South African Airways:

Replace all routes currently operated by the inefficient A 342 and replace the A 343 on all Latin American and European bound flights.

Gulf Air:

Out of the newly placed order for 20 A 333s, 8 should be converted to A 332HGWs to fly to MNL (2), Japan (NRT only-2) and USA (ORD/EWR-4) in the future.

Etihad Airways; the routes suited for it in the future are as follows:

AUH-PER
AUH-IAD
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avbuff · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 2788 Location: FL,USA

Is 12,800 km the actual range or on paper?

FWIW, the A332HGW may not actually fly more than 11,000kms ( without any penalties) given the head winds and the actual flight path incorporated while flying ULH routes.

In the case of Air India, even a regular A332 would have been a good option for all the routes you mentioned apart from DEL/BOM - SYD/MEL. But given they are not in any position to purchase any new aircraft or so, it is the A310 till the B787s come.

Nimish · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:08 pm Post subject:

tayaramecanici · Member Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 447

Any Fleet acquisition exercise would involve amortisation, which is based on discount rate and forecasted value of aircraft.

This is where the unknown kicks in, B787 is a unknown quantity with respect to EIS, Op Economics etc and the cost of the elusive financing is rising daily. This will have a huge bearing on valuations of any A330HGW purchased today.

My assessment of the whole B787 fiasco is based on the conspiratorial history of BOEING Co. The present credit crunch and its fall out were evident to Boe, ILFC and now CIT have filed for bankruptcy not to mention RBS. These org own over 1500 aircrafts between them in the aircraft leasing business, one of the main movers of the industry with ref to financing. The current global fiscal situation is such that theres absolutely no appetite for any ASSET CLASS, New or Old, and aircrafts come at the bottom of this class due to their high cost and cyclical nature of the business, hence no takers for the ILFC portfolio, part or whole.

So coming back to the A330, Unless Airbus can offer a re-engineering package which could give a new life to the current fleet of A332s, i don't see many airlines provisioning $90m-$80m for a aircraft thats suspected to last for 24months in a depressed travel market as/and if the B787 rises like a phoenix. Which i believe it would the simple reason being they have not been marketing the B767 as a interim alternative, BOE is gauging the market, i believe we are in EPOCHAL times with ref to Globalisation, energy and civilisationally.

B787 has a NO BLEED AIR engine which is expected to be fuel efficient, since the programme was announced, 3 alternative fuels have been tested on scheduled flts i.e. Methanol, Jatropa (India has loads of this plant, MP govt runs all their cars on Jatropa fuel) and latest LPG converted into AVG or Jet A-1.
PAK is evidence of where we are headed civilisationally with ME countries the financiers of PAK to follow. The last decade of aviation has seen ME rising as the single largest region with growth numbers, probably higher than that of China. A single event, like the ones we are witnessing in PAK, in DXB/AUH/DOH/RUH/BAH will spell the end of HUBBING at these dest.

I would personally rather consentrate on using the B777 to build the ULH and A313HGW/A306R/B763/A332 to build the medium-long haul. The euphoric times are pass evident from the traffic on Airliners.net.