In talks with Tatas for providing new planes to Air India, says Airbus India

 

Speaking at a company event to showcase new generation aircraft A350, Airbus India President Remi Maillard said: "We are in talks with all airlines."

Global aerospace major Airbus India on Monday said that it is in touch with Tata Group for providing its new aircraft A350 for Air India. Speaking at a company event here to showcase the new generation aircraft A350, Airbus India President Remi Maillard said: "We are in talks with all airlines."

On Air India, he said that the company currently has a relationship with Tata Group's other airlines namely Vistara, and AirAsia India. Besides, he said that the Tata Group is Airbus's defence products manufacturing partner here in India.

Last month, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the group is committed to making Air India a world-class airline which it deserves to become. He also mentioned upgrading the aircraft fleet to expand the network both on the domestic and international fronts, and to ensure best possible hospitality to passengers.

In January 2022, the Centre handed over the management control of national carrier Air India to a subsidiary of Tata Sons. According to Maillard, India is set to witness a massive growth in outbound passenger traffic. The company forecasts that India will be the fastest growing aviation market amongst the G20 countries. "Wide body aircraft growth has remained stagnant for both passenger and cargo aircraft," he said.

As per estimates, India is expected to witness growth of 6.2 per cent in international air traffic, whereas the global average will be at 3.9 per cent. On Monday, the aircraft manufacturer showcased the A350 family of widebody and the long-range aircraft. The aircraft can seat upto 480 passengers depending on the configuration.

Furthermore, Airbus India said the aircraft offers the lowest cost per seat of any large widebody. The A350 aircraft can fly non-stop on ultra-long haul routes of 18,000 km. At present, Airbus has received 915 orders from 50 customers globally for different variant of the aircraft.