Kingfisher orders 35 ATRs for $610m

New Delhi: It's raining mega deals in the Indian aviation market again. Liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Sunday inked a $610-million deal to buy 35 mint-fresh turbo-prop aircraft from French firm ATR for his full-service carrier Kingfisher Airlines.
That's not all. The state-owned Indian Airlines is also planning to finally sign its four-year-old $2.2-billion order for 43 Airbus jets on Monday in the presence of visiting French president Jacques Chirac.
Mallya's fresh deal includes a firm order for 15 planes and an option to buy 20 more later. The 15 planes alone delivery of which are expected to start from 2007 are valued at around $270 million at list price.
"Kingfisher, which had placed a firm order for 20 ATR 752-500 and 15 options in November 2005, on Sunday announced the conversion of the 15 options to a firm order. In addition, it has reserved the option to buy 20 more at a later date," an airline official said.
19/02 Times of India

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