BOMBAY, April 27 (UPI) -- State-owned Air India has decided to purchase 50 airplanes from Boeing at a price of $6.9 billion, to keep up with the boom in Indian air travel.
The contract, announced Tuesday, could be India's biggest aviation deal yet, the BBC reported. It is the biggest with Boeing and has been in the making for the last year. The deal still needs to be approved by the Cabinet.
Air India had considered buying from a mix of manufacturers but settled on Boeing rather than the British Airbus makers. The list of planes includes the 777-200LR, 777-300ER and the company's new 787 Dreamliner. Air India's existing fleet consists solely of Boeings.
The 777-LR aircraft is capable of direct flights from India to America, which would save the airline a lot of money in terms of fuel, explained Dinesh Kesher, president of trade for Boeing.
No delivery date for the aircraft has been given so far, though some reports suggest they will be phased in over 10 years, starting in 2006.
Airline travel is booming in India, rising 26.5 percent in the six months to March, Channel NewsAsia reported.
