Air India is seeking to benefit from the interplay of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, as it prepares to buy Boeing jets that were previously meant for Chinese air carriers, but shelved in light of the trade struggle. The Indian national airline intends to approach Boeing to purchase these aircraft, which would have been handed over to Chinese airlines before the US-China tariff war froze the handover process, according to a news agency.
Air India desperately needs modern aircraft to improve its competitiveness in the Indian market, and the airline’s move, at this juncture, leaves the airline with no other option but to opt for the more fitting option of outsourcing the operations of its B777s. With these jets added in, Air India would be able to compete with other rival airlines like the market leader in low-cost carriers, IndiGo. Boeing 737 Max planes, which were initially being shipped to Chinese carriers that booked them, are also part of the jets in question. But given escalating US and Chinese tensions and retaliatory tariffs, the Chinese government ordered its airlines not to take Boeing aircraft.
In such a case, some 10 planes were already prepared for delivery to China, but they were suspended due to the trade dispute. Consequently, a number of the 737 Max jets being sent to China have already been sent back to the US. But Air India, keen as it is to have these aircraft and put them to use, is anxious to buy these aircraft, which are already built.
Air India is also eager to get slots if and when they would be available for future Boeing jet deliveries. It is not the first time that Air India has profited from the happenings in China. The airline had received 41 Boeing 737 Max planes earlier in 2023, which had been earmarked for Chinese airlines but never delivered as the model was grounded in 2019.
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