Air India Using Boeing, Airbus Planes on Dreamliner Routes

By Santanu Choudhury

NEW DELHI--Air India Ltd. has started using Boeing Co.'s (BA) 747 and 777, as well as Airbus 319, 320 and 321 planes to operate flights on overseas and local routes which were served by its half a dozen Dreamliner jets.

The Mumbai-based airline operated Dreamliners to Paris, Frankfurt and Dubai, as well as to three local destinations. Flights on these routes are continuing, but using other planes, an Air India spokesman told The Wall Street Journal Friday.

Air India Thursday grounded its Dreamliner fleet after India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation told it to do so.

The directive from the DGCA followed a similar move by the Federal Aviation Administration of the U.S. to ground all U.S.-registered Dreamliners pending a safety review following incidents of battery fire and fuel leaks on the new jets.

"We have not canceled any flight that was served by the Dreamliner. Instead, we have made alternative arrangements for our customers," the spokesman said.

Air India was among the early customers for the 787, ordering 27 Dreamliners in January 2006. The carrier plans to take the delivery of six more jets by the end of December and the remaining 15 through 2016.

"As of now, our plan for the remaining Dreamliners remains unchanged. There is no decision about canceling or changing the delivery schedule of the planes," the spokesman said.

The 787 Dreamliner is marketed by Boeing as 20% more fuel-efficient than similarly sized jets. It is made of light-weight composite materials and a vast network of electronics, a shift from aluminum and hydraulics used in conventional jets.

The Air India spokesman said the airline will resume flights on the Dreamliner once it receives the go-ahead from the civil aviation regulator.

Thursday, the DGCA had said a decision about Air India's Dreamliner fleet would be taken only after the U.S. FAA approves the safety of the jets.

Write to Santanu Choudhury at [e-mail]

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