Mahindra Aerostructures awarded Airbus contract to manufacture A320 family fuselage skins
Mahindra Aerostructures awarded Airbus contract to manufacture A320 family fuselage skins
www.mahindra.com
Fly91 orders 40 ATR-72 aircraft in $1-billion fleet expansion push across India
Regional airline Fly91 has placed an order for forty new ATR-72 turboprop aircraft, which will drastically increase its fleet size. Anticipated deliveries will commence by late 2027, helping to fill the connectivity gap in tier-two and tier-three cities across India. To sustain this ambitious...
Regional airline Fly91 has placed an order for 40 ATR-72 turboprop aircraft, one of the largest for the type in recent times, as the carrier bets on expanding connectivity to smaller towns and cities across India underserved by larger jets, said people aware of the development.
At list price, the order is valued at more than $1 billion. However, airlines tend to get heavy discounts on such large orders.
At list price, the order is valued at more than $1 billion. However, airlines tend to get heavy discounts on such large orders.
Abhinandan Varthaman, a decorated former Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain and Vir Chakra recipient, has ventured into commercial aviation. According to news agency PTI, he has joined Goa-headquartered regional carrier FLY91 as a pilot.
Sources familiar with the development told PTI that the former Indian Air Force fighter pilot officially joined the regional airline in August. FLY91 has declined to comment, stating that details regarding company personnel remain private, PTI reported. Specifics about his role haven’t been disclosed either.
Sources familiar with the development told PTI that the former Indian Air Force fighter pilot officially joined the regional airline in August. FLY91 has declined to comment, stating that details regarding company personnel remain private, PTI reported. Specifics about his role haven’t been disclosed either.
New aircraft order opens door for ATR assembly line in India: CEO
A new order this month for ATR turboprops has opened the door for a potential ATR assembly line in India as demand for air travel continues to soar in the world’s fastest-growing major aviation market, its CEO said in an interview.ATR won a 40-aircraft order from India’s regional carrier Fly91 this month, its biggest order from an Indian airline in years and a deal that has given the aircraft maker a much stronger foothold in the country’s emerging regional aviation market.
“We see big potential in India. We've been very clear about that,” ATR chief executive Nathalie Tarnaud Laude told ET Prime in an interview.Asked whether that could eventually mean an aircraft assembly line in India, Laude said the company would need significantly more orders before adding capacity, but India could be an option.
ATR currently produces between 30 and 40 aircraft a year and plans to return to 60 aircraft annually by the end of the decade. But an order of 200 to 300 aircraft from India would require additional capacity, the CEO said.“When it comes to this big-size order, like this 200- to 300-aircraft order, we will certainly need more capacity because we cannot make 200 to 300 aircraft with the capacity that we have,” she said. “So, it will be additional capacity to the one that we have.”Another factory would then make sense."
Of course, India will be an option — not only from a capacity to assemble aircraft, but also to produce components, to be part of the supply chain,” she said.
The regional aviation spaceIn effect, if ATR were to get another 160-plus aircraft order from India over and above the 40-aircraft order it has just concluded, it could get closer to the scale at which an assembly line in India starts making sense — something the Narendra Modi-led government has been keen on.Rival Embraer has already tied up with Gautam Adani-led Adani Group to set up such an assembly line, but that too is expected to be contingent on securing orders.
ATR, at least, already has 40 aircraft on the board.
Still, that 200-aircraft goalpost may not be easy for ATR to reach soon either, unless the country’s three major airlines — IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air — step in.But IndiGo, according to a person aware of the matter, which has around 45 ATR aircraft, recently returned four of these planes after their leases expired. It has also not been expanding its regional fleet and instead giving orders for widebody jets. Air India does not currently operate a regional turboprop fleet, while Akasa Air has also not entered the segment.ATR, however, does not see IndiGo’s aircraft returns as evidence that the Indian regional market is disappearing.
I think, from my perspective, it doesn't mean that they will completely get out of the regional space,” Laude said.
undefinedundefinedundefinedundefined
“There have been some changes in all those companies since then. So, I'm sure they have a fleet-planning or a fleet-network strategy which is ongoing discussions. And they will have to come back to tellundefinedundefinedundefined you what they think about their own fleet strategy.”
She was referring to Willie Walsh, who took charge as IndiGo CEO last month, and Tewolde Gebremariam, who has justundefined taken over as Air India CEO.
ATR believes there will continue to be a role for turboprops if the airlines decide to expand their regional networks.
“If they want to continue toundefined extend their regional network, we still believe we have the best aircraft,” Laude said, citing the ATR’s economics, reliability and versatility.
She said the aircraft remains particularly competitive on sectors of lessundefined than 400 nautical miles because of its fuel efficiency.
The immediate challenge for ATR, however, is that India's regional aviation market has not yet produced enough customers to get anywhere near theundefined 200- to 300-aircraft scale.
Cash-strapped SpiceJet, which has a large fleet of 23 Q400 turboprops that once connected dozens of smaller cities, is operatingundefined only two of those aircraft because of its financial problems. The airline is also dealing with multiple disputes with lessors.
Asked whether this could mean an ATR aircraft MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) operation in India, she said: “Yeah, for some components, yes. There are some players, some of our suppliers looking at that. We know that already.”
ATR used to sell aircraft that could be delivered within six months to a year. That has changed as its order book has grown.
The company is now marketing the ATR 72-600 for delivery around 2029, although airlines can access earlier capacity through lessors, ATR chief commercial officer Alexis Vidal told ET Prime in the same interview.
“It's quite unprecedented, I think, in the regional market that we are in such a situation where we need to plan way ahead, a bit like the bigger aircraft makers are at the moment too,” Laude said.
New aircraft order opens door for ATR assembly line in India: CEO
ATR has secured a 40-aircraft order from Fly91, a deal that would offer the aircraft maker a much stronger foothold in Indias emerging regional aviation market.