Airbus welcomes the news that the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved the operations of the Airbus A380 in India.

“This is good news for Indian airports and the Indian flying public. The A380 is the world’s most fuel efficient aircraft in service with the lowest operating costs per seat and the highest revenue generating potential which benefits the airlines and the travelling public. For the Indian flying public, the A380 offers the world’s most comfortable flying experience,” said Dr. Kiran Rao, Airbus EVP Strategy and Marketing.

A booming economy, a growing middle classe, migration, urbanisation and tourism are all factors pushing India to become one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets.  Larger aircraft like the A380 combined with higher load factors make the most efficient use of limited airport slots and contribute to rising passenger numbers without additional flights to capture this growth.

As recently confirmed by London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest A380 airport, the Airbus A380 lets airports maximise efficiency and revenue potential by offering more passenger seats with the same number of flights.

The A380 is the world’s quietest large aircraft inside and out, making less than half the noise of its nearest rival around airports. In recognition of this, in 2012 the A380 won an award from the UK’s Noise Abatement Society for its quiet operations. It is also one of the greenest aircraft, with unmatched fuel efficiency.

So far, over 120 A380s have been delivered to 10 of the world’s leading airlines. Over 50 million passengers have enjoyed the A380 flying experience and the fleet has accumulated some 150,000 flights and over 1.2 million flight hours. The A380 has visited nearly 160 airports of all sizes and in all continents of the world.