Air Deccan to buy two A320s, lease more from Singapore
Thursday, 26 February 2004, 20:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
BANGALORE: Air Deccan, India's first low-cost, no-frills feeder airliner, will acquire two new Airbus A320s from Airbus Industries and take on dry lease five A320s from Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise. The acquisition and dry lease will enable the year-old air carrier to expand its services to major Indian cities from its Bangalore base. Air Deccan managing director C.R. Gopinath declared here Wednesday in a statement the five leased aircraft would join the fleet by July and the two new A320s in Sept-Oct 2005. The aircraft, powered by V2500-A5 engines, will seat 180 passengers in an all-economy layout. "With our low-cost approach, we found Airbus A320 the most economical aircraft for our service. Being the widest and spacious in its class, its cabin space will allow us to compete with other carriers on product and cost," Gopinath said. Currently, Air Deccan operates seven ATR 42 turboprop aircraft from Bangalore to various cities in south India. The additional fleet will enable the airliner to expand its low-cost operations across the country. According to Airbus president Noël Forgeard, the A320 family is the most successful aircraft, having been chosen by 160 customers and operators the world over, including many in Asia-Pacific.
Source: IANS
siliconindia