New Delhi, July 6:Boeing expects Air India to turn around with its new aircraft.
According to officials of the aerospace giant, the long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft has the right passenger appeal and low operating costs that will help the national airline to stay afloat.
"When Air India gets this aircraft, it will be able to generate revenues. The new Boeing 787 has passenger appeal that will help Air India attract customers. The maintenance costs for the first three years are very low. We believe that Air India will be able to make a turnaround with the help of this aircraft. They will be able to open new routes," said Dinesh A. Keskar, president of Boeing India.
Boeing is confident that Air India will face no problems in making the payment for the Dreamliners. "Exim Bank has made a commitment to Air India to finance the deal at a 3 per cent interest rate. We are, however, sorry for the delay in providing the aircraft and will continue our association with the national carrier," added Keskar.
Boeing is also in talks with the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) and Air India to train the pilots. "Air India has made a footprint of the training plan and we have had talks with the DGCA as well. The airline has selected the pilots and the training is about to start," said Keskar.
According to Boeing, India's commercial airplane market is expected to reach $150 billion over the next 20 years driven by double-digit growth and economic prosperity of the Indian population. Boeing also forecast that India will need 1,320 new passenger airplanes over the next 20 years.
"In 2011, the economy continues to do well. Indian carriers are becoming profitable and we expect GDP growth to maintain its upward trend in the long term. As a result, both air travel and air cargo markets will grow," Keskar said. India had 53.6 million domestic and 13.1 million international passengers during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011.
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