Boeing sees revival in the Indian air travel market
11 Feb 2010
New Delhi: American aerospace and defence giant, Boeing Co, today said Indian carriers will carry a record number of passengers in 2010, and that the worst was over for the sector. It also said it was on track to deliver nine commercial aircraft to three Indian air carriers by year end.
Of these Air India would take delivery of three Boeing 777s, low cost carrier SpiceJet would receive three B 737s, while Jet Airways would lease three new B737s.
Boeing India president, Dinesh Keskar, also stressed that no Indian airline had cancelled any orders, thought there were requests by some to defer deliveries faced as they were by a depressed market.
Jet Airways and its subsidiary JetLite had deferred orders for two B777s and three B737s respectively, he said.
Meanwhile, signs of recovery had emerged with a rise in domestic passenger travel in the final three months of 2009 and with two airlines posting quarterly profits, Keskar told reporters.
"We went through the deepest recession in the history of aviation but now we believe things are looking up. We believe 2010 will see a record number of passengers flying in India," he said. "The worst seems to be over."
