‘We are in talks with all Indian airlines for our products’

MUMBAI:French aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE, which has over 300 aircraft in operations in India and orders outstanding for 530 planes, will deliver one aircraft every week over the next decade.

Airbus India’s managing director Srinivasan Dwarakanath feels that a large number of Indians, who don’t yet fly, will take to the skies, courtesy the government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) that aims to link smaller towns and cities with air connectivity.

Airbus is also working closely with various regulators on the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine issue that has grounded several Airbus A320neo aircraft, powered by engines from P&W, and has affected the delivery schedule of the aircraft manufacturer.

However, despite the challenges, Airbus is keen to stick to its set delivery plan, Dwarakanath says. Excerpts from the interview:

How has the P&W engine issue affected Airbus? When do you expect a solution?

We work very closely with P&W as well as regulators like US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Indian regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), among others. There’s constant dialogue between us.

P&W have told us that they have found a solution. They have also identified the particular modification (for the knife edge seal issue) that has led to the grounding of airplanes (14 A320neo aircraft powered by P&W engines belonging to IndiGo and GoAir have been grounded due to engine glitches since February). Once they are able to deliver, we will also be able to deliver aircraft (A320neo) to customers.

How many of Airbus deliveries have been affected by P&W issues?

It has affected our deliveries, but we are keen to stick to our set delivery plan.

How big an opportunity is the regional connectivity scheme for you?

Airlines are starting their operations on these (regional) routes on smaller aircraft. Airbus aircraft may not be the starting point for those routes (for many airlines).

However, Airbus’s sister company ATR’s aircraft are great for these routes. And once airlines operate these routes with ATR planes extensively, they will have the opportunity to fly Airbus’s single-aisle aircraft like A320 on some of these routes (where there is enough passenger demand). We see RCS stimulating a lot of traffic and passenger growth.

Are you in talks with Indian airlines for aircraft orders?

We are in talks with all airlines (for our products), including those which already fly our planes. We are pitching both our narrow bodied and wide bodied aircraft (to them).