Airbus expects more A380 orders from Indian carriers
With orders for five superjumbos from Kingfisher Airlines, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industries expects global contracts for this flying mammoth to jump by another 20 to 176 this year.
By PTI |
ON BOARD A380: With orders for five superjumbos from Kingfisher Airlines, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industries expects global contracts for this flying mammoth to jump by another 20 to 176 this year.
"We hope some of these 20 new orders will come from India. But I don't want to predict who (will be placing these orders)," Airbus COO John Leahy told the media on board the aircraft, which completed a special flight from the national capital to Mumbai with 175 passengers on board.
The A-380, which flew close to the ground and then dramatically took off again before finally landing at the airport here, has already landed at 45 cities across the globe.
Airbus has been holding parleys with some Indian carriers, including Air-India and Jet Airways as well as the low-cost Air Deccan.
However, no deal has been clinched at present. Liquor baron Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines has placed firm orders for five A-380s, which has been dubbed as the "gentle green giant" capable of carrying over 520 passengers in a three-class configuration and 853 in a full economy class configuration.
Leahy said the Airbus would be delivering its first A-380 aircraft to Singapore Airlines this October, followed by 13 in 2008, 25 in 2009 and 45 in 2010.
"If the Indian carriers can place their orders this year itself, they can be assured of the first deliveries by 2012. Otherwise, it will take another one or two years", he said, adding that firm orders would entail payment of some advance amounts and filling up of certain legal documents.
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