New Delhi: On Tuesday, Air India has agreed to buy 250 jets from Airbus, including 210 narrowbody planes and 40 widebody aircraft, N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Group, the airline's new owner said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury attended the launch of the partnership.
New Delhi: On Tuesday, Air India has agreed to buy 250 jets from Airbus, including 210 narrowbody planes and 40 widebody aircraft, N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Group, the airline’s new owner said. During the launch of the new Air India-Airbus Partnership via video conference, Chandrasekaran said, “We have built a very good relationship with Airbus. Today I am happy to announce that we have signed a letter of intent to acquire 250 aircraft from Airbus.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury attended the launch of the partnership. The deal is part of a huge order by Air India for 470 planes, which is expected to also include an order for 220 planes from Airbus rival Boeing, as the airline heralds a decade-long expansion and reinvents itself under Tata.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “landmark event” and said it not only reflects upon the deepening ties of India and France, but also shows the success of India’s aviation sector. Prime Minister Modi said the deal reflects the deepening ties between India and France, as well as the successes and aspirations of India’s civil aviation sector.
He said India and France are positively contributing to issues ranging from security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region to global food security and health security. He also said “Through our Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN), remote parts of the country are being connected through air connectivity, which is boosting the economic and social development of people”.
He further stated new windows of opportunities are opening up in aerospace manufacturing under India’s ‘Make in India – Make for the World’ vision.French President Emmanuel Macron said Air India-Airbus partnership shows that the French aerospace company and its partners are fully dedicated to develop new areas of cooperation with India.
“We have achieved so much with India. We’ve historic opportunity to go much further, given the potential of Indian people,” he added. Macron also encouraged people of India to visit France and be part of French-Indian friendship.
