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Air-India to invest Rs 28 cr on new facilities

Air-India said on Thursday that it will invest Rs 28 crore (Rs 280 million) to ensure more comfort on its flights and provide new facilities like "sleeperettes" and 180-degrees, flat bed seats in the first class on all its Boeing 747-400 aircraft by March, 2003.

Air-India director (public relations) Jitendra Bhargava told reporters the first class tariff will be jacked up to recover the initial investment in this regard.

As a result, the tariff on Mumbai-Delhi-London Paris-New York and Chicago-New York routes will go up as 747-400 planes are deployed on these routes. He, however, refused to disclose the quantum and the timing of the proposed hike.

Bhargava said a total of 300 seats will be installed in all Boeing 747-400 aircraft and expressed confidence that the present occupancy of 30 per cent will go up as the new facilities will attract more passengers, which, in turn, will boost revenues.

Stating that the first class will have 12 seats instead of 16, Bhargava said each pair of seats will cost Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2.5 million). He said the executive class will also be modernised in a phased manner between February and April next year.

The executive class will have 26 seats instead of the present 34, he said. However, the national carrier was not planning to replace the seats in the economy class, he added.

The France-based EADS Sogerama Services has designed and prepared the new seats. The double seat configuration, with a typical pitch of 78 inches, is electrically actuated and has 180 degrees reclined bed, the AI official said.

The seats have several additional features such as an electrically powered pneumatic four-way lumbar support, two snake type individual reading lights installed in the centre armrest and a head rest equipped with two mechanically adjustable ears, he said.

Bhargava said the company was also introducing DVD players for enhanced in-flight entertainment for the first and executive class passengers.

UNI

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