59pc of planes operated by Indian airlines are fuel efficient
India’s contribution to global air traffic in the coming decades is going to be immense. With a huge domestic market only behind the US and China, Indian skies will be busy in the coming years.
With the aviation industry keen on reducing its carbon footprint, India, too, is expected to play a significant role, given the size of its overall fleet and the number of planes slated to arrive in the next few years. And the latest data released by Airbus suggests that India is certainly doing its bit for the environment by increasingly investing in fuel-efficient aircraft.
59 pc of planes in India are latest-generation. India is far ahead of the global average when it comes to the overall percentage of fuel-efficient aircraft currently in use. A report by The Times of India (TOI) cites data from Airbus, which says that while 20% of the global airline fleet is made up of new-generation aircraft, India is one of the leaders, with 59% of its carriers’ fleet comprising newer, fuel-efficient planes.
“Replacement of older generation aircraft is one of the most straightforward ways to decarbonize the sector and in that aspect India is well ahead of the curve.”
Most of the current airlines in India are relatively new compared to carriers around the world. IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, leads the pack with not just a gigantic market share but also in terms of having the most fuel-efficient planes in its fleet.
It is the world’s largest operator of Airbus A320neo, ordering over 700 of the type in the last decade and continued taking delivery even during the peak of the pandemic. Over the last few years, it has gradually phased out several older-generation A320s and currently has just 21 of the type in active service, per ch-aviation.
Go First, too, is a heavy user of the A320neo, with the type comprising 55 out of its fleet of 60 planes. Air India has 26 active A320neos out of 59 active A320 family of aircraft and is one of the largest operators globally of the Boeing 787-8 variant of the Dreamliner, with a total of 27 in its fleet.
India’s newest airline, Akasa Air, began its journey with Boeing’s latest generation 737 MAX and will add several more of the type over the next few years. SpiceJet, too, is keen on replacing its older-generation 737s with the MAX variant and currently has 13 of the type in its fleet, with several more on wet lease from Corendon Airlines.
The future looks even greener for Indian aviation, with Air India expected to order around 500 airplanes, all latest-generation widebody and narrowbody aircraft such as the Airbus A350s, A320neos, and Boeing’s MAX planes. Several more Dreamliners could also be part of its future orders.
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