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Rs 30 million make-up for 23 15-yr-old birds of Indian Airlines!

By September 1999, all Indian Airlines A-300 and Boeing 737 planes will have a new look as the national carrier turns its attention to aesthetics and goes in for major refurbishment of its ageing fleet.

Four A-300 and a Boeing 737 have already come out of the jet shop and the changes in the interiors have been quite appreciated by passengers, acccording to airlines officials.

Gone are the faded upholstery, frayed carpets and the yellowing bulkheads and panels. Well-designed fabrics, created in India, have given new life to the interiors of the planes, many of which are over 15 years old.

A ''new technology'' lamination paint has brightened the interiors, officials said. The refurbishment of the cabin is an interim step as eventually these aircraft will be phased out when Indian Airlines finalises its fleet renewal plan. But airline officials say it is worth the money spent.

''For a long time, we were only giving total emphasis to flight safety and paying little attention to the upkeep of the aircraft,'' Gurdip Singh, deputy managing director of the airline, said, while accompanying newspersons on a flight from Delhi on one of the refurbished A-300 planes.

''Passengers value Indian Airlines's flight safety but many said our aircraft looked shabby as compared to those of private airlines. Still our passengers are using our aircraft, and till we phase the aircraft out, we've to keep the planes spick and span. We are in a competitive environment, after all,'' Singh said.

Indian Airlines is spending over Rs 30 million on refurbishing the 11 A-300s and 12 Boeing 737s. Approximately Rs 1.5 million is being spent on doing up one A-300 and Rs 500,000 for each Boeing, Singh added.

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