Boeing set to dent Airbus India dominance with 737 Max order

Boeing may win a crucial deal as early as this weekend for some 70 to 80 737 Max jets from an Indian startup airline, according to people familiar with the matter, denting Airbus’s dominance in what was until recently the world’s fastest-growing aviation market. Akasa, a Mumbai-based carrier backed by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, was earlier reported by Bloomberg News to be in talks with Boeing about the planes. A deal could be announced during the Dubai Airshow, which kicks off Nov. 14, some of the people said. An agreement of that size to take the most popular variant of the 737 Max family -- which most regulators have now approved to fly again following two deadly crashes -- could be valued at as much as $10b at current list prices, although discounts are common in large orders. Any transaction would allow Boeing to establish itself firmly in a narrow-body market dominated by Airbus aircraft. Market leader IndiGo is the world’s largest customer for the European planemaker’s best-selling jets with orders for more than 700 planes, while the Indian affiliates of Singapore Airlines and AirAsia Group all use Airbus A320 models. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet is currently the only Indian customer for the 737 Max, after Jet Airways India collapsed due to debt issues in 2019. Akasa would become one of the first new customers for the Max post-recertification, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with Teal Group. “Airbus is considerably ahead in terms of share in India and the market is especially important for Boeing given all the uncertainty in China.” “We always seek opportunities and talk with current and potential customers about how we can best support their fleet and operational needs,” Boeing said.<br/>