Indian skies have fewer jumbo jets, 80 more needed to touch global average
The aviation industry is expanding but the number of wide-bodied aircraft has shrunk from 63 out of a total aircraft strength of 614 in 2018 to 43 — a development, which experts say, is out of sync with the global norm in which wide-bodied planes make up 20 per cent of an airline’s fleet.
In India, the share of these planes is only 7 per cent, down from over 10 per cent in the beginning of this year. Without these planes, which have more space and can carry more fuel, airlines cannot offer a comfortable experience on medium- or long-haul flights or carry a larger number of passengers.
The collapse of Jet Airways has everything to do with the falling number of wide-bodied aircraft. “You cannot have a shrinking wide-bodied market in a country where aviation is growing. We see a large opportunity in this space where now we only have Air India operating,” says Vikram Rai, country head, GE Aviation in India which has virtual monopoly in the wide-bodied engine market.
