Hit by gallopping fuel prices, airlines the world over have started resorting to various cost cutting measures including flying aircraft at a given height on a low speed to reduce fuel burn.
National carrier Air India and other carriers have started following these measures and other fuel conservation initiatives which are a standard practice undertaken by all global airlines, especially those flying on long-haul international routes.
According to an estimate, all these measures put together would lead Air India's parent company, National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL), to save nearly five per cent of fuel cost, which is currently around Rs 7,000 crore.
Reduction in aircraft speed at an optimal height, called a reduced Cruise Mach policy, has been adopted by Air India for its Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777 aircraft fleet used in long-haul operations.
The national carrier is also planning similar measures for its Airbus A-310 and Boeing 737 planes, which are meant for medium and short-haul flights and are the merged carrier's backbone for domestic operations.
Besides, undertaking the Cruise Mach policy, Air India has also started cutting on the aircraft's weight by removing certain non-essential items on board.
This practice has also been undertaken by global carriers like the Singapore Airlines, which now prefer not to lift items like papers, thick journals or extra crates on board.