Airliners-India.com

747-237 · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:02 pm Post subject:

Air India's first (new built) A320 SL, VT-EXA, has been delivered today.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:10 pm Post subject:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/global-lessors-queue-up-to-lease-planes-to-air-india/articleshow/46164038.cms

Global lessors queue up to lease planes to Air India

8 Feb, 2015

As many as 14 global aircraft lessors have evinced interest in leasing planes to Air India, which seeks to replace its ageing narrow-body fleet with new fuel efficient planes.

The state-run carrier would induct 19 new Airbus 320 neo/ ceo planes in the fleet by March 2018 on an up to 12-year dry lease as part of this plan, Air India sources told PTI.

Of these 19, five are being leased from independent Chinese lessor China Aircraft Leasing Company, which has already delivered Air India the first sharklets-equipped A320ceo plane last week, they said.

The remaining four will be inducted in the fleet by October this year.

"We have received proposals from 14 companies in response to our invitation for bids for dry leasing of the remaining 14 planes. These firms, which are from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Singapore, have offered us to lease up to 48 planes," they said.

These proposals are being evaluated, the sources said, adding, Air India was "open" to lease more aircraft as well.

The airline plans to induct all these 19 aircraft between this fiscal to March 2018, the sources said adding, "the Airbus 320 Neos, which are 15 per cent more fuel efficient, will start being delivered to the airline from April, 2017."

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Karan69 · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 1334

any idea which route VT-EXA is gonna be doing

Karan

747-237 · Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 6:11 am Post subject:

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/others/65-uncommon-parts-ground-leased-AI-plane/articleshow/46374400.cms

65 ‘uncommon’ parts ground leased AI plane

Feb 26, 2015

The airline recently hired five aircraft from a Chinese leasing company. The first of it idled on ground for 20 days, causing a loss of $220,000 to the carrier.

Air India has done it again. Attempting to replace 21 ageing Airbus A320s in its fleet, the national career recently hired five similar planes from a Chinese leasing firm. But when the first plane arrived 20 days ago, officials found that 65 of its components are incompatible with its existing fleet and that it does not have either the spares or the know-how to maintain the plane.

As a result, the plane, hired from China Aircraft Leasing Company at a cost of $300,000 a month, was lying unused in Mumbai, imposing on the airline a straight loss of $11,000 every day. Worse, this delay was caused because Air India's trimmers (a person who maintains aircraft cabins and interiors) had to be trained to work on the plane as the interiors were radically different from Air India's. Documents show the uncommon parts include ovens, AC vents and on-board communication units, among others.

Other uncommon components include: The cabin intercommunication data system (CIDS), which controls lighting and other technologies in the plane; heat exchangers, which take heat from the engine's oil system to improve fuel efficiency; quick access recorder, an airborne flight data recorder designed to provide quick and easy access to raw flight data; and window heat computer to keep ice off the window and repel bird strikes.

Finally, on Wednesday night, the aircraft left on its first flight to Bhubaneshwar. Experts, however, said the problems will persist till crew and technicians are fully trained and spares are ordered. With the remaining four planes set to arrive soon, Air India has now floated a tender for these 65 specific spare parts to be provided on lease.

The aircraft, which will be operated on domestic routes, have been leased for a period of 12 years, with 21 ageing A320/A319 narrow-body aircraft set to be phased out. "The aircraft was parked in front of the hangar for want of a trimmer, whose job is to maintain aircraft interiors and cabins. They wasted 20 days while the plane waited for a trimmer to be trained," an airline employee said in a message to fellow staffers.

The message also put forth some straight questions for the airline management to answer: "Who else are responsible and accountable for such lapses? Why was meticulous planning not done before induction of the flight? Think of revenue losses that the grounding of this aircraft has cost. No one seems to be accountable for this silly situation."

An Air India spokesperson, however, denied there were any lapses. "The aircraft is under operation from today. There were certain internal certification procedures that prevented it from flying on day one," the spokesperson said.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:34 pm Post subject:

http://us.india.com/news/world/air-india-to-dry-lease-14-planes-from-kuwait-421147/

Air India to dry lease 14 planes from Kuwait

June 14, 2015

Air India would dry lease 14 Airbus A320 planes from a Kuwaiti lessor as it seeks to replace its ageing narrow-body fleet with new fuel efficient planes. The carrier plans to replace 19 A320 planes. It has already entered into a deal with a Chinese firm for five sharklets-equipped A320 (ceo-current engine option) aircraft.

For these five planes, it has tied up with independent Chinese lessor China Aircraft Leasing Company, which has already delivered one plane in early February. The rest four are to be inducted by October this year.

Under the 14-plane deal with new engine option (NEO), which was inked recently after months of evaluation, a Kuwaiti aircraft leasing firm would deliver A320s between April 2017 and March 31, 2018, a senior Air India official told PTI.

“We have selected Kuwait-based leasing firm after evaluating the bids of all the lessors, who had evinced interest in leasing us 14 A320s (NEO)” the official said. These planes, which are to be inducted in fiscal 2018, are being leased for a ten-year period, the official said without divulging the name of the company.

Air India had earlier leased aircraft from Kuwait’s ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance Company in early 2000s. Besides, the airline is also in discussion with global engine suppliers Pratt and Whitney and CFM for supplying engines for these planes, the official said, adding, “we expect to finalise the supplier shortly.”

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.