Tata group will buy 250 aircraft from France's Airbus
The Tata group will buy 250 aircraft from Airbus in the world's largest aviation deal in history. The deal includes 40 A350 wide-body long-range aircraft and 210 narrow-body ones, believed to be variants of the A320neo family of jetliners for Air India, owned by the Tata group.
"It is a historic moment for Airbus to help script Air India's revival," Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said in a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ratan Tata, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders.
The deal with Airbus is part of a huge order by Air India for 470 planes, which is also likely to include an order for 220 planes from Boeing.
"This contract is a milestone in the friendly relations between India and France," said Mr Macron at the conference, where Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Jyotiraditya Scindia and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran also participated.
PM Modi said India will become the third-largest player in the aviation sector. "India will need 2,500 aircraft in the next 15 years," he added.
The A350 family has two versions - the A350-900, and the longer fuselage A350-1000.
Airbus says A350s fly efficiently on any sector from short-haul to ultra-long-haul routes up to 17,000 km, carrying 300 to 410 passengers in typical three-class configurations, and up to 480 passengers in a single-class layout.
Airbus' narrow-body aircraft include the A320 and A220 family of planes. Many airlines in India already fly the A320 family.
Air India is also likely to revamp its livery. Last month, it committed $400 million to refurbish the interiors of its entire wide-body fleet. Air India said these will incorporate the "latest generation seats and best-in-class inflight entertainment systems."