The plan was link the two "Silicon" hubs - Bangalore and San Francisco on this
Faced with huge losses, and a diving economy, Kingfisher Airlines was forced to shelve its plans to procure the ultra long range Airbus A340-500. These aircraft were instead diverted to Nigerian carrier Arik Air.
As per an Airbus press release
Arik Air, based in Lagos, Nigeria, took delivery of its first A340-500 on December 1, 2008, at a ceremony at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. The ceremony was conducted by John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, and Arik Air Chairman Sir J.I.A Arumemi-Johnson in the presence of senior government officials from various African states, board members and key business partners of the airline, and other VIP guests.Clearly, Arik saw a good thing in the tremendous effort put in by Dr. Mallya and the team at Kingfisher, in designing the interior of their A340-500, and plans to use the same aircraft configuration, for long-haul services to London, New York and Houston.
The new aircraft is the first of three A340-500s ordered by Arik Air for use on international long-haul routes to London, New York and Houston. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, the carrier's new A340s will offer the best possible passenger comfort in a two-class configuration.
Bangalore's loss is Lagos' gain.
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