Boeing Dreamliner deal turning out to be 'lucrative' for Air India

New Delhi: Air India's deal with Boeing for 27 Dreamliner (B-787) aircraft is turning out to be lucrative for India's national carrier as the airline is now eligible for an additional annual compensation of at least $80,000 per plane if the machines don't match up to the high performance standards claimed by the manufacturer.
One of the key performance standards touted by Boeing was the new aircraft's fuel efficiency, which for the first few aircraft will be way lower than promised because the planes are heavier by about 7.5 tonnes due to re-engineering.
"The Dreamliners are overweight by 7.5 tonnes, from its initial design. They were supposed to be 17% more fuel efficient vis-a-vis the A-330 aircraft. But the extra weight is likely to reduce that to 12%," a senior official from the civil aviation ministry told ET on conditions of anonymity.
09/08/12 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Categories: Air India Aug 2012, Foreign Aug 2012