By: Shubham Ghosh
Boeing may bag an order soon for about 70 to 80 737 MAX jets from Indian billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s start-up Akasa Air, Bloomberg News on Thursday (11) reported citing informed sources.
A deal on this could be unveiled during the Dubai Airshow, which is taking off on Sunday (14).
ALSO READ: Akasa Air gets India aviation ministry nod to take off
News of the potential order surfaced after Indian authorities in August cleared the US-based Boeing’s best-selling jet to take off, ending its regulatory grounding in a key travel market in the world for plane manufacturers.
In September, Reuters reported that Boeing was close to winning an order for some 70-100 737 MAX jets from Akasa, pending separate negotiations on a long-term engine service deal.
Akasa Air is set to launch India’s latest ultra low-cost carrier after getting an initial clearance from India’s civil aviation ministry in October.
Boeing shares were up 1.1% in afternoon trading.
“We always seek opportunities and talk with current and potential customers about how we can best support their fleet and operational needs,” the plane-making giant said in a statement.
Akasa did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment.