Boeing in talks with Indian airlines to sell 737 MAX jets

13th Mar 2014 09:36

Boeing Co. said it is in talks with Indian airlines Jet Airways and Air India about the sale of its 737 MAX jets.The aircraft manufacturer now expects India's commercial aviation fleet to expand more than five times in size over the next 20 years as demand grows. The company raised its forecast to sales of 1,600 new airplanes worth $205bn from last year's estimate of 1,450 new airplanes valued at $175bn. Airbus on Thursday revealed that India needs 1,290 aircraft worth more than $190bn in the next 29 years.Dinesh Keskar, Senior Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific at Boeing, told Reuters that its fuel efficient 737 MAX planes would prove attractive to Indian airlines affected by high fuel costs."Yes, the Indian market right now is going through its difficulties... Today everybody is selling below cost. And that means they are losing money," Keskar said in an interview on the sidelines of the Hyderabad airshow."I think India will come out of it. We do see some improvements that are coming up."On Wednesday, budget carrier SpiceJet announced it would buy 42 Boeing MAX jets worth $4.4bn. Shares held at $125.37 at 09:50 on Thursday.RD