Posted on 06/20/2023 6:08:48 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi
Airbus, a European aerospace company, announced a deal Monday to sell 500 single-aisle planes to IndiGo, India’s largest airline, in what is now the biggest plane deal in history.
The agreement will make IndiGo the world’s biggest A320 Family—the Airbus aircraft line that is one of the best-selling in the world—customer, bringing the total number of Airbus aircraft IndiGo has ordered to 1,330.
Neither of the two companies released financial details of the sale when announcing it at the Paris Air Show, though Reuters reported it’s a “multibillion-dollar deal” and the aircraft will be received between 2030 and 2035.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in a press release the order will enable the company to fulfill “its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India,” which just recently surpassed China as the most populous country in the world.
“This landmark order … is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market,” said Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer and head of international at Airbus.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
My dad visited New Guinea on a trip with Douglas MacArthur in 1944/45.
When he was there they used to post sentries at night for the Japs and for the Head Hunters.
My wife and I flew from Frankfort to Budapest on an A321 Neo back in 2019. Worst commercial plane I’ve ever been on. And I’ve flown on Ford Tri-Motors several times in South American back in the ‘60s.
Tiny seats, narrow aisles, and not much overhead storage. If you were in an aisle seat and larger than a 5-year-old, you were going to be constantly bumped by anybody going past. And this included most people that were shuffling sideways.
Now the trip over in an A380 and back in a 787 were great.
They should have designed an entirely new aircraft from the ground up to replace the 737. I guess they didn’t see enough of a military market, and ceded the leadership in the category to Airbus and Embraer. But the larger 737 MAX 10 is coming out soon and even loyal Airbus customer Delta - rather surprisingly - is buying a whole bunch of them. So Boeing isn’t completely out of the single aisle game, yet.
A lot of dead weight, less competitive, sure. Many American companies are moving away from merit based hiring practices, profits and public safety be damned.
Basic airmanship is still taught and expected in the US. Automation does not replace it, it enhances it.
Most people don’t know that the aircraft manufacture does not dictate the seating. Most airlines buy them from 3rd party - so cramped space in a modern airliner is a product of the airline, not the aircraft manufacturer.
I’ve heard that one.
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