Bigger planes fly more on domestic routes
NEW DELHI: Passengers on some domestic flights, usually between two met ros, are enjoying the benefits of flying in bigger aircraft, as airlines deploy Boeing 747 jumbos, Boeing 777s, Boeing Dreamliner 787s, and Airbus A330s to cope with higher traffic and slot constraints at some airports that limit the number of flights. Air India Ltd and Jet Airways Ltd have both done this, the former now operating 16 daily flights on bigger aircraft, and the latter, 8.
For passengers, this means more room, sometimes, more and better food. “There is more leg room and the food is better because bigger planes have different food trays (than smaller ones),” said an Air India official.
Jet said it “now connects four major met ros with domestic wide body services” as it has “received overwhelming response from the guests”.
Using bigger aircraft also makes sense at a time when airports, especially the ones at New Delhi and Mumbai, have no more slots for new flights. An Airbus A 320/ Boeing 737 can fly about 150 passengers in a business and economy class configuration, while an Air India 747 jumbo with its 423 seats can fly more than double that capacity in one go.
Most airlines have been running occupancy of over 80% on their flights touching 90% on good months, fuelled by cheaper oil prices and lower fares. Indian airlines typically use narrow-body Boeing 737 sand Air bus A 320 son domestic network.
Bigger planes also fly faster. This means passengers can benefit from a early arrivals, said an Air India pilot, who flies the Boeing 747 and asked not to be named.
Dreamliner 787 also comes with the advantage of higher cabin pressure that results in better humidity, reducing passenger fatigue, according to Boeing.