Article Posted on : - Feb 12, 2010

Boeing 777 (left) and Boeing 737. A Boeing photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): Aerospace and defence major Boeing company has said it will deliver nine planes to three Indian air carriers by this year end.

While Air India would get three Boeing-777s, no-frill carrier SpiceJet would receive three B-737s and Jet Airways would lease three new B-737s, Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said here.

Asserting that no Indian airline has cancelled any orders, Keskar said there have been requests by some airlines for deferred deliveries due to the depressed market scenario.

Jet Airways and its subsidiary JetLite have deferred orders for two B-777s and three B-737s respectively, he said.

Boeing expects a 8-10 per cent growth in the domestic market demand this year and a "significant improvement" in the profitability of Indian carriers. The Indian civil aviation market would require about USD 50 billion worth aircraft over the next ten years, he said.

The recent spurt in air traffic would lead to better utilisation of roughly 225 planes now available in the domestic market, he said. There are a total of over 300 planes in India, with about 75 being used for international travel.

Boeing is planning to start construction of an USD 100-million aircraft repair and overhaul facility at Nagpur by the second quarter of 2010 in collaboration with Air India.

The construction of the facility, which is expected to come up by late 2013 or early 2014, would match the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Air India.