A380 operators seek consent to operate from India
09 Dec 2011
New Delhi: Singapore, UAE and Germany have sought permission to operate the Airbus 380 superjumbo - the world's largest commercial aircraft - to India. According to aviation minister Vayalar Ravi, the government is yet to provide consent.
Within the country, Delhi and Hyderabad airports are capable of handling the aircraft.
There are fears that opening up India's airports to the A380s would mean domestic Indian airlines simply may end up losing huge amounts of traffic.
No Indian airline has ordered an A380 except Kingfisher, which has postponed deliveries.
According to Airbus estimates, Indian carriers will need over 60 A380's by 2028.
While Airbus argues that international operations out of India in the future will require the A380, given the traffic growth and congestion in places such as Delhi and Mumbai, critics argue that with the country's airport infrastructure still developing, the need for the A380 is not as compelling as it looks.
