Boeing offers Air India $24 mn for Dreamliner woes

US aircraft maker Boeing has offered a compensation of $24 million to Air India for the losses suffered by the airline as a result of the repeated grounding of the B787 Dreamliner. The amount offered by Boeing is approximately half of what India’s national carrier had asked for.

US aircraft maker Boeing has offered a compensation of $24 million to Air India (AI) for the losses suffered by the airline as a result of the repeated grounding of the B787 Dreamliner. The amount offered by Boeing is approximately half of what India’s national carrier had asked for.

The Boeing 787 has been a source of constant trouble for AI. Till June, 318 cases of delays had been reported due to technical snags in the Dreamliner.

“Boeing has agreed to a compensation of $24 million, which is approximately half of the compensation asked by Air India,” said the minutes of the meeting of the oversight committee that is overseeing the implementation of AI’s ‘turnaround plan’.

“We do not comment on discussions with our customers,” said a Boeing spokesperson in response to a mail from HT.

AI did not offer comments for the story. Sources said negotiations were on between the two sides on the quantum of compensation to be paid.

An AI official, who did not wish to be named, said the compensation amount of $48 million that the airline was demanding from Boeing had been arrived based on the actual cost incurred on account of servicing the aircraft loan during grounding, retraining of pilots and commercial cost.

Sources said AI has requested the aviation ministry to nominate an official to negotiate with Boeing.