Tag Archives: Boeing

Air India likely to seal order for half of jumbo planes today

Air India will on Friday seal half of an order worth billions of dollars for some 495 jets with Boeing and engine suppliers General Electric and CFM International, two industry sources said, as its new owner seeks to revive the airline and compete with much larger rivals, reports Reuters.

After months of closely-guarded, tough negotiations, Air India is set to place an order for 190 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody planes as well as some 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777X on a day marking one year since Tata Group took control of the former state-run carrier, the sources told Reuters.
The second half of the order, which industry sources have told Reuters includes around 235 Airbus single-aisle jets and about 40 Airbus A350 widebody aircraft, is expected to be formally wrapped up over the coming days.
Senior Boeing, GE and CFM officials are expected in India to mark the deal on Friday.
Despite earlier expectations of a single coordinated announcement, it remains unclear when either deal may be publicly disclosed especially with the Aero India air show looming in February when deals like this are usually revealed.

Manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, as well as CFM’s joint venture partners GE and Safran declined comment. Air India did not respond to a request for comment.

Reuters reported last month Air India was closing in on a deal for about 500 jets.

The order, once finalised, aims to put Air India in the league of large global airlines and make it an influential customer for planemakers and suppliers at a time when its home market is seeing a strong post-Covid travel surge.
Domestic passenger air traffic in India grew 47% in 2022 from a year ago, government data showed.

Analysts caution the airline faces intense competition given the connectivity carved out by local and international rivals.

India, which is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country, has a large, under-served air travel market dominated by budget carrier IndiGo. The bulk of India’s outbound passenger traffic, however, is carried by Middle Eastern airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways. Under its new owners Air India is looking to restore its reputation at home and overseas as a storied carrier with impeccable service and world-class planes.

It has put back in service nearly 20 aircraft that had been grounded for years due to lack of parts and money. The airline has also said it will spend over $400 million to refurbish its entire legacy wide body fleet of 27 Boeing 787-8s and 13 777 aircraft.

The aim is to corner 30% of the domestic air travel market over the next five years thus narrowing the gap with market leader IndiGo. It also wants to increase by “multiples” its current share of international travel, the airline’s new chief executive Campbell Wilson previously said. (Source: Reuters)

 

Making history, Air India may buy 500 aircraft: Report

Air India is close to placing historic orders for as many as 500 jetliners worth tens of billions of dollars from both Airbus and Boeing as it carves out an ambitious revival under the Tata Group conglomerate, industry sources told Reuters on Sunday.

The orders include as many as 400 narrow-body jets and 100 or more wide-bodies including Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s and 777s, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity as finishing touches are placed on the mammoth deal in coming days.

Airbus and Boeing declined to comment. Tata Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Air India to lease 12 more aircraft for route expansion in 2023

Air India will lease six Airbus A320neo narrow body aircraft and six Boeing B777-300 ER widebody aircraft to further augment its existing fleet. These aircraft are expected to be inducted in the first half of 2023 and will be deployed on Air India’s short, medium and long-haul international routes. The decision to lease twelve aircraft is in addition to the thirty leased earlier this year including twenty one Airbus A320, four Airbus A321 and five Boeing B777-200LR widebody aircraft.

The Airbus A320neo will be operated on the airline’s domestic/short-to-medium haul international routes. Air India’s B777-300 ER will have four-class configuration of First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy, and will be deployed to connect Indian metro cities with even more international destinations.

The airline’s aggressive expansion plan has already witnessed 19 long-grounded aircraft returning to the skies with 9 more to follow even as the airline has stepped up lease of narrow and wide-body aircraft. As part of the expansion, Air India has raised the frequency of flights between key cities on the domestic sector and has also announced direct flights between Indian cities and key global destinations like Doha, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Birmingham. Further, Air India is set to commence direct flights from Delhi to key European cities like Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen, and from Mumbai to New York, Paris and Frankfurt.

Commenting on the lease of the aircraft, Campbell Wilson, CEO & Managing Director, Air India, said, “Growing our network is an essential part of Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformational journey and we remain committed to increasing connectivity and frequency of flights both domestically and internationally. These additional aircraft leases will support our near term growth even as we finalise plans to refresh and significantly grow our long-term fleet.”

 

Bamboo Airways selects Amadeus’ technology solutions

Bamboo Airways has selected Amadeus as its next-generation technology partner. The carrier will implement the Amadeus Altéa PSS solution in addition to solutions for revenue management and digital experience. The Altéa PSS will equip Bamboo Airways with best-in-class travel technology to deliver superior service to its customers as the carrier progresses on its ambitious growth journey.

The carrier will join a community of over 200 airlines using Amadeus PSS technology worldwide. The Altéa PSS will enable Bamboo Airways to deliver modern, efficient reservation services for front-line employees to aid customers in purchasing, changing, and using services from the airline.

Bamboo Airways will also implement Amadeus’ Network Revenue Management solution, powered with Artificial Intelligence capabilities. This technology will enable the carrier to boost revenues across its network as it builds routes through connecting hubs, codeshares, and partnerships. With sophisticated algorithms, it will also enable live data and customer choice modeling. This will ensure Bamboo Airways can efficiently forecast passenger demand and willingness to pay while helping to react quickly to changing market conditions.

Additionally, the carrier will implement a modern front-end solution, Amadeus Reference Experience, for booking, self-service check-in, and self-re-accommodation workflows. This technology will enable the airline to create a seamless customer experience on the Bamboo Airways website and other digital channels. The solution features a customizable UI built on top of Digital Experience suite orchestration engines, allowing the airline to shape its online experience with built-in configuration capabilities.

Nguyen Manh Quan, CEO, Bamboo Airways said, “Cooperating with a critical partner like Amadeus is the first step in digital transformation of Bamboo Airways to improve the technology systems and leverage customer experiences. Our adoption of the Altéa PSS and other digital solutions marks a crucial breakthrough in our business strategy, thus creating a launch pad to thrive in international markets, join the world’s major airline alliance down the line, and affirm our global status.”

Javier Laforgue, Executive Vice President, Travel Unit & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Amadeus, “Bamboo Airways is joining a community of the world’s leading airlines and we are honored to welcome the carrier to the Amadeus family. Since it was founded in 2017, we have built a close working relationship with Bamboo Airways, and we are thrilled to begin a new chapter with the carrier. We believe our advanced technology will enable Bamboo Airways to become one of the leading airlines in Asia by delivering a best-in-class travel experience for its passengers.”

Bamboo Airways currently operates nearly 170 flights per day and has a growing fleet of 30 aircraft, including the ultra-modern Boeing 787 wide-body, the narrow-body Airbus A321, and the regional Embraer 190.

SpiceJet settles litigation with lessor and its affiliates for Boeing aircraft

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet Ltd said on Tuesday it has entered into a settlement agreement with aircraft lessor Goshawk Aviation Ltd and its affiliates related to three Boeing aircraft, reports Reuters.

The airline said that the agreement – the terms of which are confidential – ends all litigation proceedings between the parties, adding that this will allow SpiceJet to add two more fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and one Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft to its fleet.

Recently, SpiceJet has been in trouble with its lessors, Ireland-based Alterna Aircraft Ltd and United Arab Emirates aeronautics firm AWAS, who asked the Indian aviation regulator to de-register their planes. (Source: Reuters)