Airbus scouts India in search of that elusive widebody customer

Airbus has tried for years to find a new customer for its bigger jets in India, the world’s fastest growing aviation market before Covid shattered travel. Two of its previous buyers went bankrupt, while another was sold, giving arch rival Boeing a firm foothold in the South Asian nation’s market for transcontinental planes. Remi Maillard, the chief of Airbus’s Indian unit, reckons things are about to change. The European planemaker has doubled down on efforts to sell its A350 jets to local carriers in recent days, with a specific eye on formerly state-run Air India, which under its new owners -- conglomerate Tata Group -- needs to revamp its fleet of Boeing 777 jets. “We believe the A350 will trigger a tectonic shift, a change of paradigm in long-haul travel that matches the aspiration of India and its people,” Maillard told reporters in the southern city of Hyderabad, where top aviation executives and government officials have gathered this week for the Wings India airshow. “The A350 will play a strategic role in this transformation.” Airbus flew an A350 to three major Indian cities over the past three days, showcasing the jet to potential customers and media. On Tuesday, Ratan Tata, the Tata Group patriarch who was recently named chairman of Air India, also toured the plane, images posted on social media show. Boeing and Airbus are in talks with the new owners of Air India about an order for a raft of new jets, Bloomberg News reported last month. Those discussions involve both A350-900s and 787-9 Dreamliners. Air India has a fleet of 16 Boeing 777 jets, with an average age of more than 12 years, according to Planespotters.net. <br/>