Interference Scuttles Airlines’ Fleet Growth
AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE » FEBRUARY 18, 2013 by NEELAM MATHEWS Indigo wants to import 16 more A320s, but India's arcraft acquisition committee has issued clearance for only five. February 18, 2013, 4:15 PM India’s fastest growing and most successful airline–budget carrier IndiGo–has become the first victim of an October ruling by the country’s aircraft acquisition committee governing the number and kind of aircraft imported by airlines to encourage regional connectivity to smaller towns. In November, the committee, led by civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, cleared for import only five of the 16 Airbus A320-series aircraft Indigo wanted to acquire. “We know that operating an airline is a costly affair,” Singh said last month, “so [airlines] want to have only one type of aircraft as it reduces the operational costs. Hence, they need to be encouraged to also acquire smaller aircraft to fly to tier-two and tier-th...