"We didn't actually chose Boeing as such. We chose the aircraft," Air India chairman and managing director V Thulasidas told reporters in Seattle on Sunday. Observing that selecting the B-787 made "better business sense", he said the choice for the aircraft and its engines was "actually a major step" in increasing fuel efficiency and savings, besides making flying environment-friendly.
Boeing's senior vice president (sales) Dinesh Keskar said "the biggest piece is our commitment to India of 1.7 billion US dollars as part of this deal where we will buy goods and services from companies in India.
"It is going to create a lot of potential jobs in India and at the same time transfer technology. We are working with quality companies in India like Infosys, Wipro, Satyam, HCL and we are also continuing to work with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited," Keskar said.
Boeing has already agreed to create a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility in Nagpur and a pilot training programme by funding to develop some existing flying schools.
While Air India has ordered 27 B-787s as part of its total order of 68 aircraft, Jet Airways has booked ten of them. For Air India, the 787s would be the mainstay of its operations in future.
