New Delhi: In a bid to smoothen the process of acquiring aircraft through dry-lease, Indian Airlines (IA) Board on October 6 set up a three-member Empowered Committee to examine the global tenders it receives till tomorrow for five Airbus A-320 aircraft.

This high-powered panel would examine the tender offers and finalise the terms for leasing of the five aircraft, which would become the guidelines for the airline's Aircraft Leasing Committee to go ahead with the lease process, IA sources said.

October 7 is the last day for receiving the tender offers for dry-leasing of these five aircraft.

While three of these planes would be inducted during the on-going winter schedule, two more would be taken in 2004.

At its meeting in New Delhi, the IA Board also approved a capital investment of about Rs 52 crore for procurement of various critical ground support equipment to provide improved ground handling service to about one lakh flights every year, including 90,000 of its own.

The Board was also informed that the airline would reduce almost Rs 52 crore as premium outgo for aircraft risk insurance in 2003-04, they said.

PTI