I was browsing through my old photographs the other day and I noticed how rapidly I had been outgrowing my clothes. I grew so much and so fast in my preteen years that my parents always bought me a size bigger… just in case. It’s funny how this “growth” is not localized to our bodies. A lot of things keep growing in this world – incomes, aspirations, appetites, and especially for India, population!

As a country gets bigger, so does its aspiration. The rising middle class now wants to vacation abroad, try exotic cuisines, and fly higher! So, the arrival of the world’s largest commercial aircraft in India was a logical progression. What we did not expect though was that the Lufthansa A380 would not only be the largest but also one of the finest!

This big birdie flew into Delhi’s IGI airport last month and received a landmark welcome. I predict that aviation in our country will soon be revolutionized by a wave of giant planes cruising in our skies. And this is great news because “bigger” is certainly better for Indian aviation! This will be a slightly long post, so fasten your seatbelts as I take you on a vicarious flight aboard the #LufthansaA380! But first, watch this timelapse video of the “green giant”:-

The biggest bird in our sky is a blessing that has finally been bestowed upon us frequent fliers. Here’s why we need more double-decker planes flying in and out of India:

1. Rising Population

With over a billion people jostling for space on the Indian land, imagine what would happen if we all decided to take to the skies one fine day! And this may be hypothetical today, but in the future, as more Indians decide to fly, most of India’s residents will be airborne at any given time. So many people require multiple decks on an aircraft and a LOT of seats (not to mention, frequent flights). Lufthansa has taken one step in that direction. We need more operators to follow suit.

2. Rising Wealth

As our wages increase, we’re not going to put up with the cheap experiences that come with cheap flights. We’ll need our champagne and shawarmas when we make that expensive honeymoon trip to the Bahamas. This is why it is heartening to see the easy-on-the-eye beige interiors of the Lufthansa A380’s First Class. You can actually sleep on a fully flat bed under warm blankets with your privacy-partition up. After all, you need to look like a million bucks on your million-buck vacation!

3. Rising Stinginess

Yes, you read that right! We have become very stingy after we started making so much money. We suddenly don’t want to waste our hard earned green bills on things that hurt the environment and rob us of our natural resources. We buy energy-efficient LED lights, install motion detecting bath fixtures and only buy cars that run 20 kilometres per litre. Good thing the A380 has four turbofan engines which bring down the fuel consumption per passenger. The 3-metre diameter is quite impressive too!

4. Rising Love for Shiny Things

Everybody knows that every Indian family worth its salt will buy gold before they buy life insurance. This love is not restricted to the yellow metal. We now also love shiny steel parts of Harley Davidsons, shiny diamonds studded on shiny platinum jewellery, and shiny new shoes. It’s interesting to know that the Lufthansa A380 has a shiny body because of a transparent protective coat over one layer of colour. This high tech paint keeps the plane working in -60 degrees Celsius and +60 with equal ease.

5. Rising Interest in Weight-Loss

We are so busy working off our flab at the gym that we hardly noticed the A380’s single-paint design. That saves so much weight and ultimately, kerosene. (Fuel efficiency is inversely proportional to weight.) This plane is not called the “green giant” for nothing! It is giant, but surprisingly light!

6. Rising Sizes (despite that “thing” for weight loss 😛 )

The great Indian feasts ensure that all our plans of shedding those extra kilos are tossed out of the window. We have our big waists and tired feet flapping all over the place. This is why the A380 has more legroom (even for Economy), and a nice footrest in the Business Class.

7. Rising Tech-Savviness

With the number of tech-wizards that India is churning out every year, it’s easy to see how tech savvy our nation is set to become.  The green giant is sure to impress this group of people with its tail-camera that relays live video (on to the in-flight entertainment screens) of the sky and the view around. This camera was initially installed for the pilot’s benefit, but looks like we’ll all reap some.

8. Rising Obsession over Meditation

The concept and art of meditation was developed in India many years ago. It is in fashion again now, thanks to the world-citizens who have been popularizing this art in several countries. So when you are on that long haul flight, you wouldn’t have to miss your Yoga practice, thanks to the quiet interiors of the plane. If you wish to go further, you can also change into your Yoga-clothes and stash your travel-clothes in your personal wardrobe (first class only).

9. Rising Urgency to “Take a Leak” 😛

I don’t think I need to mention how many Indians without toilets have to trek miles to relieve themselves. While these are not the same people who fly high today, they will someday. It’s good to have nice washrooms aboard the Lufthansa A380, so you don’t have to avoid eating or drinking when you’re up in the air. You will forget you’re on a plane when you see the lavish fittings and spacious wash cabin for the first class.

Now you know why we need BIGGER and smarter things to carry us around! You will certainly agree that ‘bigger is better’ for the Indian aviation industry, won’t you?