The wait for Boeing 787, also named as `Dreamliner', seems to be getting over gradually. Finally, after a delay of nearly three years, State-owned Air India, battling financial hardships, is all set to receive the first ultra long haul passenger jetliner in the fourth quarter of 2011.
However, the Dreamliner is scheduled to land at the IGI Airport in the capital on a test flight next week and Air India pilots would start getting trained to fly this latest plane from August.
It was disclosed by Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar here on Wednesday at a press conference.
While Air India has ordered 27 B 787-8s, private carrier Jet Airways has placed orders for ten of these planes.
The deliveries to Jet Airways would begin in 2014, while the national carrier expects at least four aircraft this calendar year — one in October, two in November and one in December. Originally, Air India was to have taken delivery of it first Boeing 787 aircraft in May 2008. However, Dr. Keskar did not reveal the dates of deliveries of the Dreamliners to Air India.
He said the training of Air India pilots would begin next month. Intensive discussions have been held with the airline and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on the training programme and type-rating of trained pilots.
He said Boeing expected India's commercial airplane market to reach $150 billion in the next 20 years driven by double digit growth and economic prosperity.
In its outlook for India's commercial airplane market through 2030, Boeing said India would need 1,320 new passenger airplanes over the next 20 years.
India had 53.6 million domestic passengers and 13.1 million international passengers during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011. Boeing said the passenger traffic in India was expected to grow at 8.1 percent annually over the long-term, while globally it was expected to grow at 5.1 per cent.
Globally, Boeing forecasts a market for 33,500 new passenger airplanes and freighters worth $4 trillion over the next 20 years.
