Air India approves long-haul fleet study Air India has secured board approval to evaluate formally the Airbus A340-300 and the Boeing 777-200ER in a contest that the carrier says should lead to the acquisition of 17 aircraft. The airline has been considering a long-haul fleet modernisation for years but has repeatedly deferred any decisions. Air India said in September that it was reviving these plans, while also considering short-haul aircraft seating at least 160 people. Air India says now that "the board referred the issue to the technical committee to carry out a more comprehensive analysis of the performance capabilities, including payload restrictions, if any, of the 150-plus-seater aircraft and its bearing on overall economics of operations". The committee will also identify routes "and work out the economics of the ultra-long-range aircraft," says Air India.
Source: Flight International
