by Bikram Vohra
DUBAI: If to take an anology, like the curate’s egg, it was good and bad for the Boeing company.
Emirates slashed its order for the 777X by 30 aircraft but exercised its swap rights for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

The rearrangement is probably because of delays in the Max deliver but anything that is negative about the badly hit max does send a wrong signal on the market and causes other potential buyers to hesitate. But that said, there was a shower of confidence as India’s Akasa airlines pulled in an order for 72 737 Max narrow bodies at a hefty $22 billion deal.
Add to that Lufthansa subsidiary SunExpress signing in for 10 Max 8s and an anonymous buyer demanding 10 Max 10s it was a pretty good day in the Boeing chalet.
Now comes the icing on the cake was air Astana saying it was interested in 30 7373max aircraft and very soon would make the deal.
Not much more happened in the civil side though there was much talk about India’s multiple military hardware shopping spree. With 30 Predator drones from the US, five S 400 defence systems from Russia, Hammer missiles from France as well as French know how for submarines built at home it has quite an exciting announcement from New Delhi.

Shouldn’t be surprised if Indians are looking at the Checkmate fifth generation Russian stealth fighter currently on display here at Dubai. With a budget of $65 billion India is the VIP customer for both hardware and software as well as firepower.
India’s Indigo meanwhile galvanized the power plant segment with a big deal in selecting CFM International LEAP-1A engines to power its fleet of 310 new Airbus A320neo, A321neo, and A321XLR aircraft. This agreement includes 620 new installed engines and associated spare engines, as well as a multi-year service agreement. Reacting to the choice Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo said, “This is a pivotal milestone that reflects our long-standing commitment to rapidly strengthen our network both domestically and internationally. This expansion will serve as a catalyst to boost India’s economic growth and the mobility of its people. India’s aviation sector is poised to grow from strength to strength, and we will continue on our mission of building a world-class transportation network. We are here to deliver on our promise of providing low fares and a courteous, hassle free experience to all our customers.
“We are incredibly honored by IndiGo’s renewed trust in CFM,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International. “We are fully committed to helping IndiGo optimize its operations by providing them with the industry-leading asset utilization, fuel efficiency, and overall cost of ownership. “

Also making its debut was the Sikorsky Armed Blackhawk gunship bristling with its multi-weapon armoury and four missile points, at the occurrence.