A-I, Boeing deal: Airbus cries foul, seeks CVC vote

Airbus Industrie Vice-President Nigel Harwood said he would write to the Civil Aviation Ministry and Air India, seeking reconsideration and call for fresh tenders a day after the Maharaja opted for an all-Boeing configuration for its acquisition plan of 50 aircraft. An Air India spokesperson, however, said the carrier had ‘‘not deviated one bit from the specifications prescribed in the request for proposal ’’.

Harwood said he was not disappointed at losing the deal to Boeing but astonished not to be allowed to give a presentation of Airbus A-350 while Boeing was given the chance to build its case for Boeing 787 that is not slated to fly before 2007. “This contradicts the tender conditions.”

The Airbus official claimed that the Air India board has chosen 787s with a nine-seat configuration instead of the internationally-accepted norm of eight abreast provided by the A-350 for long haul flights.

However, reacting sharply to Airbus contentions, the AI spokesperson said, while Boeing, General Electric and others had made presentations, Airbus ‘‘at no stage made use of this opportunity to make a product presentation’’.

He added that Air India took a ‘‘strong exception to the misinformation campaign being carried out by an aircraft manufacturer, which has not been selected for supplying 50 aircraft to the airline’’.

On the contention that eight-abreast seating as against nine-abreast arrangement was internationally-accepted due to reasons of comfort on long-haul flights, the spokesperson said: ‘‘The prerogative of deciding on the seats, its specifications vests with the airline and not with the manufacturer.’’

He further pointed out that the announcement of A-350 aircraft was made after the RFP had been finalised and issued. ‘‘Thus there was no question of amending the RFP to include any new aircraft’’. But apparently the announcement was made within two days of the RFP being finalised.