Boeing, Air India Celebrate Airline's 125th Delivery

EVERETT, Wash., Oct. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Air India celebrated today the delivery of the airline's 125^th airplane from Boeing. The airplane is the 27^th 787-8 Dreamliner for the national carrier.

"Boeing airplanes are, and always have been, the foundation of Air India's fleet, providing us with the very best in economics, fuel efficiency, flexibility and passenger comfort," said Rajiv Bansal, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India. "Taking delivery of our 125^th Boeing airplane and 27^th 787 Dreamliner marks an important day for Air India. The 787 has been integral to our expansion and competiveness, enabling us to open numerous new and nonstop routes and provide our customers with an unrivalled flying experience."

Air India was an original member of the 787 Dreamliner launch group and took delivery of its first 787-8 in 2012. In all, the airline now operates 27 787-8 Dreamliners, along with 777-200LRs (Longer Range), 777-300ER (Extended Range), and 747-400s. 

"Boeing and Air India have been strong partners in aviation for more than 70 years and it is a proud moment in our shared partnership to deliver their 125^th airplane," said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president, Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.  

The Air India 787 Dreamliners offer a host of passengers-pleasing features such as large overhead bins, comfortable reclining seats, LED lighting, cleaner air, larger dimmable windows and an exclusive in-flight entertainment experience to passengers.

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 very 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 more than 196 million people on more than 560 unique routes around the world, saving an estimated 18 billion pounds of fuel.

About Air India:

Air India occupies a special place in the global and Indian aviation scenario. It pioneered the aviation in India and its history is synonymous with the history of civil aviation in India. Air India is not a mere airline that transports passengers, baggage and cargo. It is a multi-faceted organization. The aviation infrastructure it has created over the years is a testimony of its contribution. Apart from servicing of all its aircraft in-house with its own engineering facilities, Air India also undertakes ground handling services of many airlines in many cities in India. Air India has grown to become a mega international airline with a network of 44 destinations across the USA, Europe, Far-East and South-East Asia and the Gulf. The airline's domestic network covers over 72 destinations, including far-flung areas of the North-East, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Air India, today, flies one of the youngest, state-of-the-art, fleet of aircraft comprising a mix of the wide-body Boeing B777s, B747s, its latest acquisition- the B787 Dreamliner and the narrow body Airbus A321s, A320s and A319 aircraft. For additional information visit airindia.in and/or follow us on Facebook/airindia and on Twitter @airindiain.

About Star Alliance:

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, AviancaBrasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,330 airports in 192 countries.

Contact:

Joanna Pickup
International Communications
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
+1 425-879-6077
joanna.pickup@boeing.com

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SOURCE Boeing