BOEING: ASIA IS BIG ENOUGH FOR NEW NARROWBODY RIVALS

Indonesian carrier Lion Air emerged as one of several big-spending Asian carriers this year when Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of Asia Pacific and India sales Dinesh Keskar (left) and Lion Air president Rusdi Kirana signed a big order for Boeing 737s at February’s Singapore Airshow.

With leasing companies taking positions on Boeing’s new 737 Max, the Asia-Pacific region holds the key to large narrowbody orders, according to Boeing’s senior vice president of sales for Asia Pacific and India, Dinesh Keskar. 

“We have three potential customers in India and more in Asia [that can take the Max] on lease or direct buy: Jet Airways, SpiceJet and even Air India Express,” he told AIN. “[The Max] can go 500 additional miles, which will be a big boon for the Asian market.”

Keskar said Boeing’s latest 20-year forecast for India reflects even stronger demand than the numbers from last year’s forecast suggested.

Like its direct rival Airbus, Boeing faces new competitors in the battle to expand the fleets of Asia’s ambitious carriers, mainly in the shape of Japan’s Mitsubishi Regional Jet, China’s Comac C919 twinjet, Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 and Bombardier’s new CSeries. 

But Keskar insists the Asian market is growing quickly enough to accommodate the expanding group of suppliers. Boeing’s existing global market outlook shows that Asia accounts for 38 percent of all demand by dollar value and 35 percent in terms of aircraft units. “Our base [in Asia] is big,” said the senior Boeing sales executive in the region.

Keskar sees Indonesia as one of the fastest growing markets in Asia. In February this year, existing customer Lion Air ordered an additional 230 Boeing 737s, including 201 Maxs; twenty-nine 737-900ERs account for the remainder. Flag carrier Garuda plans to take delivery of four Boeing 777 widebodies next year.

04/09/2012  :  Neelam Matthews / AIN Online.

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