Boeing, Air India celebrate delivery of 125th plane

Boeing and Air India have celebrated the delivery of the airline’s 125th airplane from Boeing, the 27th 787-8 Dreamliner for the national carrier.

In a statement today, Boeing said, Air India was an original member of the 787 Dreamliner launch group and took delivery of its first 787-8 in 2012.

It said the airline now operated 27 787-8 Dreamliners, along with 777-200LRs (Longer Range), 777-300ER (Extended Range) and 747-400s, it said.

Air India Chairman/Managing Director, Rajiv Bansal, said the 787 has been integral to its expansion and competiveness, enabling the airline to open numerous new and non-stop routes and provided its customers with an unrivalled flying experience.

“Boeing airplanes are, and always have been, the foundation of Air India's fleet, providing us with the best in economics, fuel efficiency and flexibility,” he said.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Senior Vice President, Asia-Pacific and India Sales, Dinesh Keskar, said Boeing and Air India had been strong partners in aviation for over 70 years.

“It is a proud moment in the shared partnership to deliver the 125th airplane,” he said.

Air India operates the 787 Dreamliner to all its destinations in Europe and to other cities in the Gulf, Asia and Australia.

The non-stop, direct operations of Air India with the state-of-the-art Dreamliner airplane - to both its international and domestic network -- have become popular to passengers in India and abroad.

The 787 Dreamliner family is the most innovative and efficient airplane family flying today.

Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family has flown over 196 million people on more than 560 routes around the world, saving an estimated 18 billion pounds of fuel.

-- BERNAMA