2012 Airbus A320

Fuel efficiency has always been one of the most important factors that play in the Indian automotive industry. Any vehicle that cannot deliver very high fuel efficiency, that product will simply perish in the Indian market. But this it seems is true even in the aviation industry. With high taxes the cost of aviation fuel too is one of the highest in India. This is causing aircraft manufacturers to continuously upgrade their aircrafts for better efficiency and performance.

The Airbus 320 is the most widely used passenger aircraft in India. Airbus currently holds 60 percent market share in the Indian scenario as compared to Boeing. With the air travel and facilities improving in India, Airbus has launched the latest version of their 320 with special modifications for better fuel efficiency. They have also introduced a new engine as option to the same result. Special ‘sharklets’ which are small winglets on the plane wings reduce fuel consumption by 4 percent. The new engine reduces fuel consumption by almost 15 percent.

Thus the demand for the Airbus 320 with the modifications has gone up a notch, which would save almost Rs. 5.5 to 6 crore per year for airline operators. Thus fuel efficiency holds tremendous importance for the Indian customer. Even in the aircraft industry, the sales of aircrafts is dependent on how much less the plane will cost to run and maintain in this era of cut throat competition and high fuel costs. Looks like our obsession with ‘kitna deti hai’ is not limited to automobiles.

Source – MyDigitalFC