Boeing, Airbus bullish on India

Boeing and Airbus, leading global aircraft makers, are bullish on the Indian aviation market for the next 20 years in spite of the current worldwide economic slowdown. At a press conference held in connection with the on-going ‘India-Aviation-2008’ here on Thursday, Dinesh A. Keskar, Senior Vice-President, Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said he was more “bullish” on India than other places as the forecast for the economic growth for the next 20 years for the country was expected to be 6.7 per cent as against the world average of 3.2 per cent. The Indian domestic air service had increased dramatically over the past 10 years from 64 per cent in 1997 to 198 per cent in 2007. Foreign travel to/from India had grown by 78 per cent in the past four years.At another press meet, John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer (Customers) of Airbus, said that India and China would be the growth markets. Kiran Rao, Executive Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Airbus India, confirmed that Kingfisher Airlines had cancelled orders for three A 340 planes. David Dixon, Regional Vice-President, Sales, Asia Pacific, Bombardier, said that business aviation was growing at a dynamic pace in India and his company was looking to expand here.