The Hindu Business Line : Boeing sees India buying 490 aircraft in 20 years

WITH more domestic Indian carriers expected to be allowed to fly abroad, the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing today stepped up its campaign for marketing the Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft that is capable of flying non-stop between any point in India to the US and many other cities around the globe.

Speaking to newspersons on board the aircraft that is on a world tour, the Boeing's Vice-President Sales, Mr Dinesh Keskar, said, "whichever airline was looking at operating abroad will have to look at this aircraft."

Officials said that the unique selling proposition of the aircraft was that it could fly non-stop for long distances apart from generating more revenue for the airlines as it can also carry cargo.

The aircraft is capable of carrying 301 passengers and baggage up to 17,445 km thereby offering an airline using the aircraft the opportunity of flying non-stop between any point in India and the US. The aircraft can also do non-stop flights between India and other parts of the world, including Australia, with a full complement of passengers and cargo.

Air India (AI) and Jet Airways have already committed to purchase this aircraft with the state-owned airline board approving a proposal to acquire eight such aircraft. The aircraft that flew non-stop from Seattle to Delhi earlier this week will leave Mumbai this Sunday and fly non-stop to San Francisco, Boeing officials said. During the stay in Delhi, the aircraft was visited by officials of the private sector airline SpiceJet while officials of AI and Jet Airways are expected to visit during the halt in Mumbai.

Boeing officials were, however, tight-lipped about the on-going AI fleet acquisition proposal, but indicated that there could be a hike of 3-4 per cent in the acquisition cost for every year that the proposal is delayed.

Apart from AI and Jet Airways, three other airlines that have ordered or announced commitments for the aircraft are Pakistan International Airlines, Eva Air of Taiwan and Qatar Airways.

Meanwhile, the spurt in the domestic aviation sector has seen Boeing revise upwards its estimate for the number of aircraft that India would require over the next 20 years. Mr Keskar said the company now estimates that India will require 490 aircraft valued at about $32 billion over the next 20 years.

"The demand that we are observing in India is one of the highest in the world today," Mr Keskar said. Boeing had earlier estimated that India would require about 300 aircraft during the same period.

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