AI, GE sign pact to reduce emissions

New Delhi, Feb 20 (UNI) Air India (AI) today signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric (GE) which will help it becoming an environmentally sustainable airline with specific programmes and practices.

GE will deliver aircraft engines from its ecomagination portfolio including GE90-115B engines for Boeing 777-300ERs and GEnx engines for Boeing 787-800 aircraft ordered by AI.

The value of these orders from the airline is over 2.2 billion dollars. GE is one of the world's largest companies with turnover exceeding 150 billion dollars.

''The initiative could result in 15 per cent fuel burn savings per year,'' said AI's chairman and managing director Vasudevan Thulasidas. ''Saving jet fuel is good business and good for environment as well.'' Beyond aircraft engines, GE will partner in other areas like green building, in-flight content creation and co-branding.

Meanwhile, AI's low-cost arm AI Express has inducted its sixth owned Boeing 737-800 aircraft which will operate only economy class seats on the Gulf and Singapore routes. The acquisition increases the AI Express' fleet size to 13 aircraft, seven of which are on lease.

UNI