According to persons familiar with the situation, Air India Ltd. is considering placing a sizable order for narrow-body aircraft as the airline moves to update its fleet under new management.
According to the people, who requested anonymity because the talks are private, the carrier is considering ordering up to 300 Airbus SE A320neo family jets, Boeing Co. 737 Max aircraft, or a combination of both. An order of such size would probably take years or possibly decades to produce and fulfil.
Representatives from Boeing and Air India declined to respond.
The nature of any discussions, whether ongoing or not, are confidential, according to an Airbus representative. “We are always in contact with existing and potential customers.”
According to a recent report by Bloomberg News, Tata Group, the company that currently runs Air India, plans to modernise the former state-owned airline and is reportedly close to placing an order for about 20 Airbus A350 long-range aircraft.
Airbus has had better success selling smaller jets in India, so landing a narrowbody order there would be a victory for Boeing.
With more than 700 orders for the best-selling narrowbodies from the European manufacturer, IndiGo, a subsidiary of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., is the largest buyer in the world. Other airlines that operate aircraft from the same family include Vistara, Go Airlines India Ltd., and AirAsia India Ltd.
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