Golden Jubilee of the Airbus A300

History in the making

The first twin-engine widebody commercial aircraft in history, MSN 1, an A300B1 development aircraft with the tail number F-WUAB, made its maiden flight in Toulouse on October 28, 1972. Captain Max Fischl, First Officer Bernard Ziegler, Flight Test Engineers Pierre Caneil and Gunter Scherer, and Test Flight Engineer/Mechanic Romeo Zinzoni were the members of the test flight crew. The flight was originally scheduled for Friday, October 27, however, it was delayed by a day due to fog. The following day, Saturday the 28th, saw improved weather with some sunlight but there was still a chance of wind.

AIB Family Flights

However, it was determined that the weather was favorable enough for the trip to proceed. The flight was 1 hour and 25 minutes long, with a top speed of 185 knots (342.6 km/h) at an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,300m). The autopilot was activated, the testing of moving surfaces, and the retraction and deployment of the landing gear all took place. When returning to Blagnac Airport, Max Fischl expertly performed a controlled crosswind landing because of the infamous Toulouse "Vent d'Autan" wind gusts.

Musée Aeroscopia, Toulouse | Prashant Prabhakar

The first A300B1, MSN 1, was put into production in September 1969, and it was finished on September 28, 1972, exactly one month before it took off for the first time! Despite the advancements and changes in design, production, and assembly that has occurred over the past 50 years, the workshare, responsibilities, and specialization of the industrial sites and the logistical "ballet" involved in the construction of the first A300 remain remarkably similar for the current Airbus range of aircraft.

The second prototype Airbus A300B1 during "hot" and "high" tests in Madrid | Representative | Pinterest

Variants and derivatives

Before being sold to customers, the two additional aircraft that were made were utilized for flight testing and development. The second and final A300B1 to be constructed was MSN2. The first A300B2 was MSN 3. The original A300B1 was stretched, and this was done at Air France's request. The A300B2 was 2.6 m longer and could carry 251 passengers in a normal two-class layout. This arrangement remained the same for all later A300B2 & B4 models; the B4 had the same seating capacity as the original B2 but a longer range, enabling it to compete in the medium-range market.

The A300B4, a longer-range model with more weight and fuel tanks, entered serial production in 1974. Later, the A300 proved to be an especially effective platform for enabling further development, and various variants were conceived, tested, and built during the course of the program's over 35-year existence. These include the A300B10, which had its initial flight in April 1982 and was eventually launched in 1978 as the A310.

Air France A300B4-203 | Representative | Wikimedia Commons

In 1993, the passenger plane's cargo variant, the A300-600F, would start flying. The A300B9 and A300B11 programs, which used the same revolutionary fuselage cross-section as the first A300, would eventually serve as the blueprint for the A330 and A340 family of aircraft. To fulfill internal Airbus requirements for greater large cargo capacity and to replace the aging Aero Spacelines Super Guppy fleet, five A300-600ST "Belugas" would be constructed.

Eurasian Cargo Solutions

What sets it apart?

Although the A300's unique selling point was that it was the first twin-engined widebody, constant design evolution across the family and the incorporation of new technology and materials earned it a place in aviation history with numerous industry "firsts": the A300 FFCC was the first two-man forward-facing cockpit for a twin-aisle aircraft, the first application of composites on secondary, and later on primary structures.

Aero Spaceline Super Guppy | Representative | Avionslegendaires.net

37 operators are now using more than 250 A300/A310 aircraft. It is the third most commonly used type of freighter in the world, with freighters making up 75% of the fleet.

The A300's role as the first in a family of commercial aircraft was one of the founders of Airbus' less well-known goals at the time; an early advertisement for the A300 declared it to be "the start of something significant" in 1968. They had no idea how accurate those words would prove to be!

SOURCE: AIRBUS

COVER: AIRBUS

Foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 till August have reached close to 50% of the numbers during the corresponding period in the pre-pandemic year 2019, according to the government data, with officials pointing out that the recovery so far has been on the expected lines.

According to data sourced from the ministry of tourism, a total of 3,263,219 foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) have been recorded this year till August, which is 47.2% of the 6,914,987 foreign travellers who visited the country in the corresponding period in 2019.

Foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 till August reach close to 50% of the pre-pandemic year

In terms of month-wise recovery, the data suggests that while the FTAs in January this year were 18.1% of the corresponding figures in 2019, they increased up to 78.3% of the pre-pandemic year numbers in July. The figure stood at 62.2% in August with 498,243 arrivals as compared to 800,837 in the corresponding month in 2019.

“There is an ongoing war in Europe and international airfares are high. Under these circumstances, the recovery numbers are as expected. Based on current booking trends, India should reach pre-Covid levels of international arrivals by early 2023.”Arvind Singh, Tourism Secretary

In January this year, 201,546 FTAs were recorded in the country and the figure was 18.1% of the 1,111,040 foreign travellers during the first month of 2019. Similarly, February saw 240,896 FTAs (22.1% of the 2019 figures), March 342,308 (35%), April 392,930 (50.7%), May 423,701 (68.9%), June 522,737 (72%), and July recorded 640,858 FTAs, which stood at 78.3% of the 818,125 foreign travelers visiting the country in the corresponding month in 2019, as per the data.

Inbound leisure at close to 50% of the pre-Covid level is not a big deviation from the expected figures, said Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer (CEO), South Asia, CAPA, an aviation consultancy firm.

“Downside in numbers due to visa issues and high air fares continuing Covid-19 overhang. Outbound travel faces similar issues like inbound — visa issues and high air fares — and I don’t see it changing in the next six months. Our marketing to bring inbound leisure back has not picked up as expected. Outbound tourism is expected to be back to pre-Covid level by first quarter of FY 2024 and inbound by the end of FY 2024.”Kapil Kaul, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), South Asia, CAPA

He, however, cautioned that “visa issues and high fares may from time to time contribute to the downside”. “The Ukraine war is impacting our key source market, which is Europe,” he added.

The scheduled international operations were suspended from March 23, 2020, till March 27, 2022, leading to a sharp drop in passenger traffic in FY2021 and FY2022 compared to pre-pandemic years.

According to data sourced from the ministry of tourism, a total of 3,263,219 foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) have been recorded this year till August

“With the resumption of scheduled international operations from March 27, 2022, international passenger traffic for Indian carriers is on a growth trajectory and is short only by approximately 7% in the first quarter of FY2023 when compared to pre-Covid levels,” an internal report of rating agency ICRA read.

It further said that despite a healthy recovery in passenger traffic, the “domestic aviation industry currently faces major turbulence because of elevated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, and the recent depreciation of INR vis-à-vis the US$, both of which have a major bearing on the cost structure of airlines”.

(With Inputs from Hindustan Times)

SpiceJet has received aviation regulator DGCA approval for wet leasing five Boeing 737 Max planes for up to six months. The airline has already deployed two of the aircraft on different routes, according to sources.

The approval for taking the planes on the wet lease was given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this month. The sources said the remaining three aircraft would be inducted into the SpiceJet fleet in the coming weeks. There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet. The airline already has Boeing 737 Max planes in its fleet.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet likely to induct 7 B737 MAX aircraft

SpiceJet receives DGCA approval for wet leasing 5 B737 MAX aircraft

To cater to rising demand in the winter schedule which begins on October 30, SpiceJet and IndiGo have received approval for their proposals to take planes on wet lease.

Under a wet lease arrangement, planes are leased along with operating crew and engineers. Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly.

ALSO READ - IndiGo to debut with widebody aircraft for international expansion

IndiGo has received DGCA's nod for wet leasing wide-body Boeing 777 planes, which are operated mainly on long and ultra-long-haul routes, for up to six months.

IndiGo has also received DGCA's nod for wet leasing wide-body Boeing 777 planes

ALSO READ - DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease wide-body Turkish planes

However, the regulator rejected the airline's proposal to keep them in the fleet for up to two years, saying the move could become a diversion of traffic rights in collusion with a strong foreign carrier that will mainly feed the latter's hub abroad with more passengers from India, sources said earlier in the day.

Sources at IndiGo said the airline has written to the civil aviation ministry seeking extended tenure for aircraft that will be taken on wet lease.

ALSO READ – Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?

The budget airline based in Kuwait, Jazeera Airways, is ready to begin its service from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, according to airport statement.

The first phase of service, starting on October 30, will be 2 days a week. The flight departs from Thiruvananthapuram on Mondays and Wednesdays at 2.50 AM and reaches Kuwait at 5.55 AM (Local time). The flight leaves from Kuwait at 6.25 PM (Local time) and reaches Thiruvananthapuram at 2.05 AM.

An A320 aircraft with a capacity of 160 passengers will be used for the service and this will be Jazeera's second service to Kerala.

The Kuwait-Thiruvananthapuram route will be served on Tuesdays and Sundays.

With the arrival of budget airline Jazeera, travellers from South Kerala and Tamil Nadu can travel to Kuwait at low cost. Booking for flight service has started.

Jazeera Airways is a Kuwaiti airline with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait. It operates scheduled services in the Middle East, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Europe. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport.

The airline has grown since its launch to become Kuwait's second national airline. Jazeera Airways is one of the largest operators at Kuwait airport.

It has a fleet size of 19 aircraft consisting of 8 A320-200 and 11 A320neo aircraft and serves 50 destinations.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has authorised IndiGo's request to wet-lease a wide-body Boeing aircraft from Turkish Airlines for a period of up to six months.

But the local carrier's request to lease the aircraft for a period of up to two years was rejected by the Aviation regulator.

IndiGo, the largest customer of Airbus narrowbody aircraft globally, seems to be charting a new path for itself with wide-body aircraft coming to its rescue. Since its fleet now solely consists of narrow-body aircraft, IndiGo chose to lease wide-body aircraft to expand its international flight schedule in order to satisfy growing demand.

Also read - DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease Turkish planes

DGCA allows IndiGo to wet lease Turkish Airlines' Boeing planes for six months.

The DGCA turned down the request of the country's largest airline to wet lease the aircraft for a longer period, citing that the move could become diversion of traffic rights in collusion with a strong foreign carrier that will mainly feed the latter's hub abroad with more passengers from India.

Aviation regulator DGCA has allowed IndiGo to wet lease wide-body Boeing planes from Turkish Airlines for up to six months and has rejected the domestic carrier's request for leasing the aircraft for up to two years.

Also read - Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?

This move of leasing wide body planes was taken because of the slowdown of deliveries of new aircraft and supply problems of Pratt & Whitney and CFM engines causing a large number of IndiGo and Go First Airbus A320 aircraft to be grounded.

Under wet lease arrangement, planes are leased among with operating crew and engineers.

Also read - IndiGo to debut with widebody aircraft for international expansion

IndiGo, which currently has only narrow-body planes in its fleet, decided to lease wide-body aircraft to operate more flights on international routes to meet rising demand.

IndiGo has a fleet of more than 275 planes and flies to 26 international destinations. It is also the country's largest domestic airline with a market share of 57.7 per cent in September.

The government is also looking at mega aviation hubs in India and is also encouraging domestic airlines to have wide-body planes in their fleets.

Also read - Government wants airlines to induct wide-body aircraft to reduce travel time

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the 10th busiest airport in the world in terms of seat capacity and frequency of domestic and international flights as of October 2022, reported Official Airline Guide (OAG).

Following the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the aviation industry experienced a significant decline in passenger and flight traffic. The industry gradually got back to business in 2022.

In its research, aviation analytics company OAG said the Delhi airport improved from its 14th position in October 2019, before the pandemic struck. The busiest airport in the world as of October 2022 is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport having serviced 47,47,367 seats.

Aviation analytics firm OAG said Delhi airport has improved its position from 14th place in October 2019, which was the pre-pandemic time.

Dubai International is second with 41,27,704 seats, followed by Tokyo International Airport with 38,77,164 seats and Dallas Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with 37,53,858 seats.

In fifth place is the Denver airport with 37,09,394 seats, followed by London Heathrow Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport at the 7th spot and Los Angeles International Airport at the 9th position, the OAG report.

"When compared to October 2019, 6 of the Top 10 this month were also among the world’s Top 10 busiest airports then; airports which have seen their rankings rise, bringing them into the Top 10 now, are Dallas/Fort Worth (from 12th to 4th), Denver (from 20th to 5th), Istanbul (from 13th to 8th), and Delhi (from 14th to 10th)."OAG said in the report.

The Indian aviation sector is recovering after being significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic that also saw scheduled international flight services remaining suspended for more than two years starting from March 2020.

DEL-DXB, one of the busiest route according to OAG.

In another report, OAG said Mumbai to Dubai and Delhi to Dubai were among the top 10 busiest international routes.

The busiest airline routes are those with the largest volume of scheduled seats during the period from October 2021 to September 2022.

“India is also seeing an increase in route capacity with two routes in the top 10, operating from Mumbai to Dubai (BOM-DXB) and Delhi to Dubai (DEL-DXB),” it said.

Also, the route between Mumbai and New York is among the largest unserved routes, which OAG defines as the routes with the largest volume of people travelling indirectly between two points.

(With inputs from HINDUSTANTIMES)