Air India close to finalise deal of 50 Boeing 737 MAX planes for AI Express

Tata Group-owned Air India is close to finalising a deal with US aircraft maker Boeing for 50 narrow-body Boeing 737 MAX planes for its international budget arm Air India Express, according to sources.

The sources familiar with the development said the deal will be part of a large aircraft order that Air India has been discussing with Boeing Co and Airbus SE since the beginning of this fiscal. Loss-making Air India, which was taken over by the Tata group in January this year, plans to triple its fleet over the next five years, they added. As part of consolidating its airline business, the Tata group has also announced the merger of its domestic budget arm AirAsia India,