New Delhi: In one of the largest single orders by a private airline in the country, Kingfisher Airlines is buying 50 aircraft from Airbus.
The chairman of United Breweries Group, Vijay Mallya and Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy signed an MOU to the effect at the 47th International Paris Air show at Le Bourget on Wednesday.
Mallya says he plans to open new long-haul routes and expand existing ones. This would include direct flights between India and the United States and also services to Europe.
With the MoU, Kingfisher Airlines and its partner airline Air Deccan, now have a commitment for a total of 176 Airbus aircraft, including the A380 and the Airbus corporate jet.
Last year the company placed several Airbus orders -- five A380s, the world's largest commercial passenger liner, five A350s, a new long-range plane under development, five A330s and some 30 A319 and 320 smaller aircraft.
On Sunday, Kingfisher signed a deal to purchase 15 ATR 72-500 aircraft for $270 million, with the option to buy another 20 of the short-haul aircraft.
ATR is an equal partnership between Alenia Aeronautica (Finmeccanica group) and European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), which in turn owns 80 percent of Airbus. Britain's BAE Systems holds the other 20 percent.
Kingfisher has said it plans to go international when rules permit.
Comments
0 comment