Air India will be saving $150 million over 15 years by mounting advanced General Electric engines GE90-115B on its 27 Boeing 777-300ERs aircraft. The Ecomagination range of engines allow better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs.
V Thulasidas, CMD, Air India said: "We are spending large amounts on aviation turbine fuel, which accounts for over 35 per cent of our operating costs. We have bought the best airframes and new generation engines to become one of the most efficient airline with lowest operating costs."
Thulasidas also signed a memorandum of understanding with GE for a broad-based environment-friendly initiative for the entire operations of the airline.
Its headquarters at Nariman Point, Mumbai, will be turned into a Green Building and its maintenance and repair operations will also be bought under GE's Ecomagination programme.
"We plan to go for world standards in our utility services such as power distribution, lighting, water treatment security and sensing equipment in Air India House, in Mumbai. In the long run, our entire operations will be made eco-friendly and that will allow us to earn carbon credits and improve our profitability," Thulasidas added.
Air India has re-scheduled its direct Mumbai-New York flight by two month owing to delayed delivery of its aircraft from Boeing. The scheduled flight will now start from April this year.
On the issue of merger with Indian Airlines, Thulasidas said: "A decision will probably be taken by the end of March, to create one of Asia's top 10 carriers by fleet. All manpower issues have been resolved and to maintain parity of scale in the merger, a one-time cost of Rs 150 crore is expected to be incurred before the merger."
The merged airline will have a fleet of more than 110 planes with an additional 111 on order. After the merger is finished, the combined entity will decide on the issue of joining the Star Alliance or any other global airline consortium to leverage better operational efficiency in international and domestic operations.
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