8 December 2005
188 orders from India: Airbus
- By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, Dec. 7: French aviation giant Airbus on Wednesday announced that it had received orders for 188 aircraft from private airlines in India.
"We have received orders for 188 aircraft. Of these, 100 aircraft are for Indigo air, 58 aircraft for Kingfisher Airlines while 30 aircraft are for Air Deccan," said Airbus' senior vice-president (marketing) Kiran Rao. The French aviation giant will also be selling 43 aircraft to Indian Airlines.
"We estimate that we will be selling about 570 aircraft to airlines in India in the next 20 years but these estimates could be revised to about 800," said Mr Rao.
The senior Airbus official described India as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world.
Meanwhile, civil aviation minister Praful Patel told newspersons later that the proposed Air India-Boeing deal for purchase of 68 aircraft would come up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on December 15.