Airlines overcome initial fears

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 10. The civil aviation sector is not as pessimistic now as it was after the terrorist strikes in the U.S. on September 11. Two days into the military operations by the U.S. in Afghanistan, it is beginning to hope that its initial fears will turn out to be misplaced.

Those connected with the civil aviation operations in India say that the impact of the raids on Afghanistan on the sector will depend on their duration and whether they spread to other regions.

The optimism stems from the fact that after the initial spate of cancellations of bookings and the decision of some airlines to either withdraw or curtail operations, the airlines appear willing to wait and watch before taking hard decisions.

Some international airlines have announced a firm commitment to continuing operations. Some others have added new services.

On Tuesday, the Canada 3000 direct flight between New Delhi and Toronto arrived at the Indira Gandhi international airport. Later, the aircraft left for Vancouver.

Hailing the inaugural flight on which he himself travelled, the President of the Canada 3000, Mr. Augus Kinnear, said the Airbus A340 flight from Delhi to Toronto and Vancouver was the fastest to North America.

Mr. David Velupillai, regional manager for Airbus, expressed the hope that the situation would become normal within a couple of months. He said his company originally had orders to supply 330 aircraft in the current year. After some cancellations, it still had orders for 320 aircraft. Airbus was going ahead with its prestigious project to produce A380 which would carry 555 passengers in three classes. The advanced and spacious airliner should start flying in early 2006.

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