The Hindu : AI, IA fleet expansion plans before CCS soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 09, 2002

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AI, IA fleet expansion plans before CCS soon

New Delhi Dec. 8. The fleet expansion plans of both the Air India and the Indian Airlines will be put up before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) soon, the Civil Aviation Minister, Shahnawaz Hussain, said today.

He, however, refused to give a time-frame for the purpose. Official sources said the CCS might take up the issue before this month- end.

The Air India board has decided to acquire 17 aircraft, while the Indian Airlines is seeking an addition of 43 aircraft.

Earlier, Mr. Hussain flagged off an Air India flight to Frankfurt.

The flight destination was added close on the heels of Air India starting a flight to New Jersey from Mumbai.

The Boeing 747, which flew in here from Mumbai, took off for Frankfurt with 133 passengers on board.

The carrier, which had stopped its services to Frankfurt a few years ago, will now operate them on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Mr. Hussain said additions to the national flagship network include a flight from Guwahati to Bangkok, three weekly flights to New Jersey via Paris, besides those from Kerala to stations in the UAE.

New Jersey is the third station in the United States where Air India has launched its service. The others are New York and Chicago.

PTI

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