Superjumbo A-380s awaiting Ajit's nod to land in India

Superjumbo A-380s could soon land in Mumbai if Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh gives his nod, several years after some major foreign carriers started seeking permission to use these large Airbus planes.
Issues like clogging of airport facilities like baggage handling and speedy immigration and clearance for over 500 passengers at one go were analysed and decisions to overcome them taken by a group of officials, led by Civil Aviation Secretary K N Srivastava, Ministry officials said.
The proposal would now have to be cleared by the Civil Aviation Minister before it can be implemented, they said.
The proposal is to start the flights of the aircraft, the world's largest commercial jets, from Mumbai and then from Delhi, they said, adding that one more airport is being readied for the operations of these aircraft.

Several carriers like Singapore Airlines, Dubai-based Emirates and Germany's Lufthansa, have been seeking permission to bring the aircraft into India since 2008-09, but were prevented by the prevailing rules here.
While the two major airports at Mumbai and Delhi are capable of handling these fully double-decker, wide-body and twin-aisled long-haul jets, the problem is the influx of over 500 passengers coming out at a time when these planes land.
The crowding at immigration, baggage clearance and customs could lead to clogging of the existing facilities which may find it difficult to handle the passengers disembarking from other aircraft that land at the same time.

The sources said the thinking was to allow the landings of these aircraft at a time when there are lesser number of flights operating from an airport.