Even as carriers continue
to flounder in India—the latest, according to aviation pundits,
to go the Kingfisher way will be the low-cost SpiceJet—there is
one airline that is thinking out of the box to be productive. The carrier
is India’s largest—534 daily flights connecting to 37 destinations,
including 5 international destinations—and is the only one that
has made profits when most of the others have been swimming in the red.
For the financial year that ended on March 31, 2014, India’s top
five domestic airlines recorded combined losses of Rs 9,737 crore ($1.62
bn). Even IndiGo’s profits went down by 60 percent to Rs 317 crore
($53 mn).
In an innovative move, the carrier has decided
to lessen the weight of around 70 of its present 100 single-aisle Airbus
320 planes by installing lighter aircraft seats (the last of the 100 aircraft
will be with the airline by the end of the year). The move will not only
enable the carrier to cut down on fuel costs by Rs 30-40 crores ($5-6.50
mn) annually but, most importantly, bring down the operating empty weight
(OEW) of the aircraft by 700 kg that will be used by its cargo division,
CarGo. Today, the airline carries more than 12,000 tons as belly cargo
per month.
Replacing the Weber 5600 seats with the
thinner and lighter seats—known as the Sicma Dragonfly, weighing
7.5 kg and almost four kg lighter than the 5600 seats—from Zodiac
Aerospace of France will offer IndiGo fliers a couple of inches of legroom,
though they could be uncomfortable for some. According
to Partner and India Head of Aerospace and Defence, KPMG, Amber Dubey,
the 700 kg reduction in weight would bring in an “enhancement of
belly cargo carrying capacity, which is a perpetual revenue source.”
In fact, it would bring in a whopping Rs 200 crore ($34 mn) of additional
annual revenue.
In October this year, IndiGo ordered 250
A320neo aircraft worth $25.7 billion at list prices. The new aircraft
would create capacity for IndiGo CarGo.
Stay Tuned
Tirthankar Ghosh |
