Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters

In a curious flip of occasions, Air India’s Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer Nipun Aggarwal’s social media messages linked to the current mega plane deal have disappeared.

In a LinkedIn submit on Wednesday, February 15, evening, Aggarwal had mentioned Air India, along with the order of 470 planes, had the choice to buy 370 plane from Airbus and Boeing.

Sources advised Business Standard that the Tata Group is against the concept of further particulars associated to the Air India deal to be disclosed on social media.

Aggarwal, Air India and Tata Sons didn’t reply to Business Standard‘s queries concerning this matter.

The airline’s agency order for 470 plane is the world’s largest single-tranche plane deal ever made in industrial aviation historical past.

“A press release was issued on Tuesday. It has requisite details. If Air India executives want to post on social media, they must not mention anything more than what has been said in the press release,” a supply mentioned.

The airline’s press launch solely talked concerning the agency order and didn’t point out something concerning the possibility dimension.

In his LinkedIn submit, Aggarwal had mentioned the cope with Airbus and Boeing was for 840 plane.

‘The order contains 470 agency plane, 370 choices and buy rights to be procured from Airbus and Boeing over the following decade. The Airbus agency order contains 210 A320/321neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000.

‘The Boeing agency order contains 190 B737MAX, 20 B787, and 10 B777. We have additionally signed up for long-term upkeep of engines with CFM International, Rolls-Royce, and GE Aerospace.’

Even Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury on Thursday, February 16, refused to disclose any particulars concerning the possibility dimension within the Air India order.

When a reporter requested him about Aggarwal’s LinkedIn submit and particulars concerning the choice dimension, he replied, ‘I can’t reply that query. Options, buy rights, and so forth — we aren’t disclosing them. Not in a scientific manner no less than.’

‘We have communicated on what’s more likely to be the agency orders and the settlement we’ve got reached with Air India. I believe 250 planes — 40 A350s and 210 A320 household plane — is a really sizable quantity already,’ Faury mentioned in the course of the Airbus annual press convention in Toulouse, France.

While Airbus’s press launch on Tuesday, February 14, didn’t point out its possibility dimension, Boeing’s press launch did say that Air India can take further 70 planes on prime of the agency order for its 220 plane.

Aggarwal’s LinkedIn submit mentioned, ‘It is certainly a landmark second within the historical past of Air India and Indian aviation. This order of 840 plane has been a fruits of an enchanting journey that started nearly two years in the past, beginning with the Air India privatisation course of.’

‘This order,’ Aggarwal added, ‘demonstrates the imaginative and prescient and aspiration of Tata Group to rework Air India right into a world-class airline and join India continuous to each main metropolis on the earth. This order can be testomony to the large financial potential unleashed by the Air India privatisation.’

The airline has not formally disclosed when deliveries of those planes will start.

However, Airbus has said that deliveries of A350s will start this 12 months. Sources additionally mentioned deliveries of the A320 household of planes might begin from 2026.

According to sources, the A350s and the B777s will primarily be used on India-North America routes, whereas the B787s will function on different long-haul locations, together with a couple of short-haul routes.

The A350, B777, and the B787 are wide-body plane with larger gasoline tanks, permitting them to traverse lengthy distances resembling India-North America routes.

Sources mentioned whereas the wide-body planes could also be bought by the airline, the narrow-body ones (A320neo and B737MAX) could possibly be taken beneath the sale-and-leaseback mannequin.

Under the sale-and-leaseback mannequin, a brand new plane is offered to a lessor, who instantly leases it again to the airline, serving to the provider unlock money move.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com