India - Mallya's New Airline

Plush interiors have decreased the payload of the A330-200

BANAGLORE: Billionaire liquor and aviation baron Vijay Mallya has a weighty issue at hand. His luxurious wide-bodied twin aisle A330-200, fitted with plush accessories, is threatening to ground his plans of launching a direct transatlantic flight to the United States from India. At the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday, Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines unveiled its first A330-200. The unveiling, on the eve of the launch of the airline’s international operations, gave a glimpse into the luxurious offerings that Kingfisher’s chairman and CEO has planned for high-end customers. But the stand-up bars, massage seats, full-time chef, and other luxuries onboard the A330-200, which will be deployed on the US route, have lowered the payload of the aircraft. The payload of an aircraft is its net carrying capacity including passengers, cargo, luggage and fuel. A lower payload means the aircraft can carry less fuel, passengers, cargo and luggage. An aviation expert said that with incremental weight of its plush interiors, Mallya’s A330-200 would be able to lift less fuel and so, would have to compulsorily halt for refuelling at some airports between India and the US. Unless Mallya strips his aircraft of some of the luxuries, he would not be able to operate direct long-haul flights overseas. “Every aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight (MToW), and payload depends on the configuration of the aircraft,” said the expert. An airline executive said that usually, A320 and Boeing 737-800 aircrafts have MToW of 73-75 tonnes. Therefore, they can carry 200 passengers with up to five tonnes of fuel on a two-hour flight. “A stripped down version of A330-200 has MToW of 95 tonnes and would be able tank up to 25-28 tonnes on a 12- to 14-hour flight. But if it has lower payload because of weighty accessories, it will carry less fuel. This would make a technical landing (for fuelling) inevitable,” said the executive.If the plush interiors are to be kept intact, the full services carrier will have to take care of this problem soon. A statement issued by Kingfisher Airlines said that the A330-200 would be configured in two classes-Kingfisher First and Kingfisher Class. The airline’s first-class cabin will have an in-seat massager on every seat, touch-screen controls, mood lighting with starry sky, in-seat chargers and USB connectors. The aircraft will have a social area with a full-fledged bar staffed with a bartender, and a break-out seating area nearby, fitted with two couches and bar stools. While unveiling the features, Mallya, the chairman and CEO of Kingfisher Airlines, said, “I have no doubt that the superior experience that will be offered by Kingfisher Airlines is sure to find favour with discerning flyers who will no longer regard flying as a necessary chore, but rather come to see it as an enjoyable experience.”