Air India orders 50 new Boeings
By CNN New Delhi Bureau Chief Satinder Bindra
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The board of India's state-owned international airline, Air India, has approved an order to purchase 50 Boeing aircraft worth $8 billion, Boeing executives in Mumbai have confirmed to CNN.
Senior Boeing executive Dinesh Keskar said it was the company's biggest deal ever in India and one of the most lucrative anywhere for the aircraft manufacturer.
While the deal was approved at the Air India board meeting in Mumbai, it still must get official clearance from the Indian government.
Once the sale and delivery are complete, Air India will have an all-Boeing fleet. The new aircraft will replace the airline's Airbus models.
The Boeing planes included in the deal are eight 777-200LR ultra long-range models, 15 777-300ER long-range aircraft with 350 seats and 27 787 long-range aircraft with 250 seats.
