Western leaders hail billion-dollar Air India, Airbus, Boeing announcement
Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden
Several western leaders like US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have hailed Air India’s decision to buy planes from Airbus, and Boeing.
The Indian airline has signed letters of intent with Airbus and Boeing to acquire a mix of widebody and single-aisle aircraft. The deal was announced during a virtual meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also expressing their support.
In his address, PM Modi highlighted the rapid expansion of the civil aviation market in India, which will encourage greater connectivity between India and the rest of the world, in turn boosting tourism and business in the country.
"The agreement between Air India and Airbus is also an important milestone for the Indo-French Strategic Partnership. The India-France partnership is playing a direct role in ensuring the stability and balance in the international order and the multilateral system," he said.
The order includes 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s, and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, along with 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. The A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines, while the B777/787s will use engines from GE Aerospace.
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Later in the day, PM Modi and US President Biden held a telephonic conversation in which they welcomed the announcement of the agreement between Air India and Boeing. They called it a "shining example of mutually beneficial cooperation that will help create new employment opportunities in both countries," as per the Indian readout.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the deepening of the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. PM Modi is expected to travel to the US in June.
A statement from the White House noted that "this purchase will support over one million American jobs across 44 states, and many will not require a four-year college degree. This announcement also reflects the strength of the U.S.-India economic partnership."
UK PM Sunak and Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch also welcomed the deal.
"This landmark deal between Air India, Airbus and Rolls-Royce demonstrates that the sky's the limit for the UK's thriving aerospace sector. By building trade ties with growing economic powers like India, we will ensure UK businesses remain at the forefront of global growth and innovation," Sunak stated.
The announcement will create new highly skilled jobs in Wales and Derbyshire, he added.
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