Airbus wins $2.1 billion US deal to supply Air India with passenger jets Canadian Press Thursday, February 06, 2003 BANGALORE, India (AP) - Airbus has won a $2.1-billion-US-deal to sell 43 passenger planes to Indian Airlines, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and the airline said Thursday. While at Aero-India exposition in Bangalore, India's technology hub, Raffarin also witnessed the signing of joint production deals between two French companies and an Indian aircraft engine maker. There are 176 foreign companies vying for Indian defence and civilian deals worth billions of dollars at the show, which is India's first since allowing private investment in defence production. ``Indian Airlines has chosen to buy 43 Airbus planes,'' Raffarin told business leaders, according to a statement French officials handed out. ``I am of course hopeful that this choice will soon be made official,'' he said. Anup Shrivastav, spokesman for Indian Airlines, the state-run domestic carrier, told The Associated Press, ``The board has approved a proposal to acquire 43 planes. Yes, it's Airbus. It was cleared in March 2002 and has gone to the government for approval. We are awaiting the reply.'' ``It is a $2.1-billion-deal,'' Shrivastav said. ``It is a combination of A-319, A-320 and A-321 models.'' The delivery scheduled would not be decided until the government gives its approval and places an order, he said. Raffarin was expected to continue lobbying for Airbus during visits with Indian leaders in New Delhi on Friday. U.S.-based Boeing Co. was also reported to be interested in the Indian Airlines deal. Boeing is one of 10 U.S. companies at the air show, the biggest ever American contingent. Raffarin noted that the international carrier, Air India, ``also needs long haul aircraft and I would be very pleased if it were also to choose Airbus, which, with its A-340 range, offers highly competitive planes.'' ``The relationship between Airbus and India is about more than trade. It involves a true industrial partnership,'' he added. He said Airbus was exploring the possibility of buying structural parts for the Airbus A-380 from India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. which already makes doors for some Airbus models. At the air show he witnessed the signing of contracts between Hindustan and two French firms: Snecma will join in making aircraft engines mostly for export; and Turbomeca will jointly produce and develop engines for light combat helicopters and jet trainers. In New Delhi on Friday, Raffarin was to meet with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other Indian leaders, to explore new areas of defence and technology co-operation. Raffarin will also discuss a $1.8-billion-US-deal involving the sale of six French Scorpene SKK submarines to India, The Hindu newspaper said earlier this week. It quoted Raffarin as saying in an interview that France was also co-operating in advanced research and high technology. ``Our industrialists are tying up partnerships with the Indian armament industry to develop joint projects, especially in the aeronautics and naval sector,'' he said. Foreign companies can now invest up to 26 per cent in equity in defence projects in India and the government plans to replace most of its aging air fleet over the next 15 years. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribscape.com/tamnakthai/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************