As the two aircraft giants jostle for position, aviation experts and pilots weigh in on the pros and cons of their widebody aircraft.
March 22, 2022 / 01:57 PM IST
AFP
The action in the Indian market for widebody aircraft is hotting up. Airbus kicked off the action, bringing the Airbus A 350 Extra Wide Body (XWB) demonstrator aircraft to the Hyderabad Wings biannual air show. It showcased the aircraft in Delhi and Mumbai before proceeding to the air show. The aircraft is capable of flying non-stop for up to 19 hours, with Singapore Airlines using it on the New York-Singapore route.
Addressing the media, Francois Obe, Head, Widebody Marketing Development, Airbus, said that the XWB has opened up the whole of North America for Indian carriers to launch non-stop flights, including launching a Bengaluru-San Francisco flight.
The pilot community is sure that now that Airbus has brought its latest Extra Long Haul aircraft to India, Boeing will follow. Vistara has already ordered the Boeing 787-9, which can fly 15 hours non-stop and reach the interiors of the US. Vistara is still awaiting permission from the US government to start flights there.
The emphasis on widebody aircraft comes at a time when the Indian government is pushing Indian carriers to make India a global hub for aviation, just as Dubai and Singapore are. For this, Indian carriers need to increase the number of widebody planes in their fleet. At the moment, Air India and Vistara are the only Indian carriers that have aircraft to launch long and ultra-long-haul flights to Europe, the US, Canada and Australia.
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