Eastward ho for airline

Washington: Air India is lending its wings to a major initiative by the Centre to spread the benefits of its Look East policy across the eastern region.
Connectivity was crucial to ensure gains for the region from the Look East policy, Air India chairman and managing director V. Thulasidas said today.
With this in view, Air India Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, will soon start flights from Calcutta to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Dhaka.
A week ago, Air India Express launched its service from Calcutta to Singapore in an initiative to expand the wings of its subsidiary carrier to the eastern region, Thulasidas said.
He was in Washington DC to sign an agreement with the Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank) of the US for a $1.23-billion finance package to enable Air India to buy Boeing aircraft.
The package represents the first tranche of financing arrangements for Air India’s biggest order ever for 68 Boeing aircraft. The $1.23-billion package will cover the purchase of 17 planes, but it is understood that EXIM Bank will extend similar guarantees for the entire Boeing order, estimated to cost around $11 billion.
13/10/07 K. P. Nayar/The Telegraph

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