Airlines to reduce fuel burn as costs mount

MUMBAI
GoAir will be installing light weight seats in its new aircraft. It also plans to retrofit planes with wing tip devices to reduce fuel burn. SpiceJet has reduced number of ovens in some of its planes and is carrying lesser quantity of water in storage tanks of aircraft.

These are amongst the slew of measures taken by domestic airlines to cut down fuel bills. Fuel accounts for around 40% of costs for domestic airlines and aviation turbine fuel prices are around 8% higher than previous year. This along with rupee depreciation has impacted the bottomline of the domestic carriers.

“We will have different kind of seats on board the new planes which will induct next year. The seats will be lighter and will help in fuel bill reduction,” said GoAir chief executive Giorgio De Roni. GoAir has 17 Airbus A320 planes which has 180 seats and will induct three planes by next July. He did not share details like seat specifications but said it would result in savings of “many hundred thousand dollars.”

Full report here Business Standard