Bombardier in talks with Indian carriers to sell jets

Canada-based aircraft firm Bombardier is in talks with several Indian carriers to sell its regional jets and turboprop aircraft meant for serving short-haul routes and smaller airstrips. "We are in advanced stages of discussions with some of these airlines. Our 86-seater Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ) was stationed here for a week in September when we displayed it to our potential customers in India", Bombardier Chairman and CEO Laurent Beaudoin said.

Its turboprop-400 aircraft with a capacity to seat 72 passengers is in competition with French ATR and Brazilian Embraer planes now operating in India. With the burgeoning air traffic, India would require over 350 aircraft in the range of turboprops and regional jets over a period of two decades, the orders for which would be placed in the next two to three years, he said. Bombardier has recently sold business jets to some private clients in India. "This segment is now developing in India", he said.

However, these projections could even double or triple if the economic growth rate at eight per cent was maintained in the next couple of years, the bombardier chief said, adding "We are assessing the situation in India continuously". Beaudoin said his company was considering opening a purchase office in India and was in talks with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for supply of aerospace components.

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