Dreamliner delivery to Air India shortly

 After a four-year long wait, national carrier Air India is set to take delivery of its first batch of Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a day or two.

“We are ready with at least four dreamliners to be delivered anytime. It is now Air India’s call, when does it want to take the delivery,” Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said on Tuesday.

Air India’s fleet expansion plan was cleared by the Cabinet last month after it had approved the delivery of the first of 27 Dreamliners to Air India. The approval was given after the state-run carrier and Boeing arrived at a compensation agreement for the delayed delivery.

Sources said, some formalities, however, remained which were expected to be cleared soon. The airline is expected to take its first three Dreamliners in a quick succession. Keskar said, once a timeline is determined, the first three Dreamliners will be delivered from Boeing's new North Charleston facility in South Carolina.

Air India had placed orders for 27 of 787s in 2005, and the first batch was supposed to be delivered late in 2008. However, production delays at Boeing came in the way of its the delivery on time, leading to a compensation issues between the Air India and Boeing.
The cost effective and fuel efficient 787s are expected to help Air India augment and expand their network, Keskar said.

In India, the Dreamliner will cost around $210 million, cheaper than the widely-used 777, which costs $260 million.