A380: Airbus to unveil world's biggest passenger jet
Paris: Airbus is about to unveil the world's largest passenger jet. The A380, a four-aisle, four-engine, double-decker "superjumbo," will roll onto the tarmac on Tuesday at Airbus headquarters in southern France.

But the real test will happen on March 31, when the A380 hauls its 308-ton frame aloft, and allows the plane's engineers to find out whether their gargantuan offspring lives up to the performance promises, as the first test-flight data streams in.

In a standard three-class cabin configuration, the A380 will carry 555 passengers, which is one-third more than the Boeing 747, the plane it is designed to displace. The Airbus also claims that on a full tank, it will carry them five per cent further than Boeing's longest-range jumbo, with costs per passenger one-fifth below that of its rival. Sales have beat expectations so far, and most of the technical problems that have dogged the program have been resolved.
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Saudi Aramco pitches for oil supply to India
New Delhi: Saudi Aramco, the company that holds a quarter of the oil reserves in the world and accounts for twelve per cent of global production, has made a strong pitch to be a crude oil supplier of choice to India.

Speaking at Petrotech 2005, the sixth international petroleum conference, Abdallah S. Jum'ah, President and Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Aramco, said: "There are three factors that make Saudi Aramco the supplier of choice for the Indian market. First, our responsible long-term approach to managing our unmatched reserve base; second, the reliability of our petroleum production and distribution infrastructure; and finally, our commitment to mutually beneficial partnerships."

At the moment, Aramco supplies over 4,50,000 barrels per day of crude oil to India accounting for about a quarter of the country's imports. India's demand for oil is expected to double from present levels by the year 2030 and about 94 per cent of the demand will then be met by imports.

"Saudi Aramco stands ready and willing to provide that energy, reliably and responsibly, just as we have delivered petroleum to global markets for nearly 70 years," said Jum'ah, adding, "I consider ourselves as the backyard storage of India."

Aramco said it is keen to invest in the Indian oil refining and marketing sector. The company has invited Indian companies to participate in the 4,00,000-barrels per day export refinery it plans to set up in Saudi Arabia. Aramco sits on 260 billion barrels of crude reserves (present global demand is approximately 80 million barrels per day) and is "working hard" to add newer ones.

Jum'ah said that he expected to add another 200 billion barrels to the existing reserves. Interestingly, more than half of Saudi Arabia's potential hydrocarbon bearing areas are still unexplored, according to him.
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