INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Over 10 Airbus A320s and the rest Boeing 787-800s Dreamliner and a few Boeing 777s have been groundedTo meet high demand and raise its
market, national carrier Air India has earmarked Rs 500 crore to get 19 of its grounded passenger jets back into operations.Currently, the
national passenger carrier has 19 aircraft grounded due to various reasons most prominent among them being expensive spare parts and engine
overhauls.However, an increase in demand due to the peak travel season along with industry's capacity constraint has led the airline to
earmark at least Rs 500 crore for the grounded fleet."This is an opportune time to raise our market share and meet the healthy demand
All our assets (aircraft) have been deployed strategically
But we still have more aircraft which are grounded," a senior Air India official told IANS from Mumbai."We expect at least two aircraft to
join the fleet within days
Addition of other aircraft will aide us to augment our market share."Notwithstanding the fresh funds, the official said that all grounded
aircraft are unlikely to become operational before August.Over 10 Airbus A320s and the rest Boeing 787-800s Dreamliner and a few Boeing 777s
have been grounded.Air India's fleet augmentation is also in line with the government's request to airlines to advance their aircraft
induction plans.As of 2019, Air India Group -- Air India, Air India Express, Alliance Air -- have a combined fleet of over 160 aircraft
The plan envisages the airline to hire over 200 cabin crew from the now grounded Jet Airways."We have already finalised 150 crew from Jet
Airways," the official added.Get the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on
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