Boeing sees no payment problems by Air India for B787

Boeing India President Dinesh A Keskar stated he expects Air India will benefit from the induction into service of B787 equipment (The Telegraph India/Gulf News, 06/08-Jul-2011). He added that Boeing is confident Air India will face no problems in making the payment for is on order B787s. "Exim Bank has made a commitment to Air India to finance the deal at a 3% interest rate. We are, however, sorry for the delay in providing the aircraft and will continue our association with the national carrier," Mr Keskar said. Boeing is also in talks with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India to train 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," Mr Keskar said. Boeing is scheduled to delivery the first B787 to Air India in Dec-2011. The carrier has 27 B787s on order.

Boeing India: "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," Dinesh A Keskar, president. Source: The Telegraph India, 06-Jul-2011.