Airbus, Boeing Court Air India In Blockbuster Aircraft Upgrade
NDTV
Air India is considering Boeing's narrow-body planes alongside the Airbus A350 jets, as part of a fleet renewal under new owner Tata Group, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
The potential blockbuster deal of this year's Farnborough air show still hangs in the balance, with Airbus SE growing more confident it can secure a landmark purchase of about 50 A350 wide-body jets from Air India Ltd. at the event, and Boeing Co. working on a deal for as many as 150 737 Max jetliners.
Air India is considering Boeing's narrow-body planes alongside the Airbus A350 jets, as part of a fleet renewal under new owner Tata Group, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Airbus's long wait time for A320neo delivery slots may constrain its effort to come up with a rival offer for narrow-bodies, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
The discussions are ongoing and the final order tallies could shift, the people said. Airbus is trying to get the widebody deal firmed up at the show, but the carrier may wait with an official announcement until India's Independence Day on Aug. 15, one person said.
Another person said the date of an announcement hasn't been finalized. Air India recently appointed a chief pilot for the A350, suggesting the airline wants to purchase Airbus's most advanced aircraft, according to an internal memo on the promotion seen by Bloomberg.
