Business & Economy
Boeing deal: Airbus cries foul 
What is India News Service, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 1400 hrs IST

A day after the Air-India board decided to place an order worth Rs 30,000 crore for 50 aircraft with Boeing of the US, arch-rival Airbus on Wednesday demanded that all documents relating to the tendering process be sent to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and fresh tenders be called for the purchase. 

Airbus executives said the aircraft maker was not disappointed but \93astonished\94 by the order being given to Boeing. Airbus on Wednesday said it would be writing to the national carrier, asking it to scrap the earlier tender and reissue a fresh one. 

\93We will be writing to the civil aviation ministry and Air-India in the next couple of days seeking an evaluation and calling for fresh tenders to ensure fair competition. We will also like to send all related documents to the CVC for stand-alone evaluation,\94 Nigel Harwood, Airbus vice-president (sales), told the media in the Capital. 

The Air-India board had decided to place the order with Boeing after detailed examination of the recommendations by a techno-economic committee appointed to examine the bids. 

\93We were not given fair and equal treatment. We were not given a chance to make a presentation on A350, whereas Boeing made its case on B-787s, which will not fly before 2007. This is contrary to tender conditionalities,\94 Harwood claimed. 

Harwood also said the Air-India Board had chosen 787s with nine-seat configuration, instead of the internationally accepted norm of eight seats abreast provided by the A350 for long-haul flights. 

Reacting to the allegations made by Airbus, an Air-India release issued late on Wednesday said the airline had not deviated even on bit from the specifications prescribed in the request for proposal as alleged.

Bangladesh may agree to gas pipeline without pre-conditions: There is an optimistic rendering in the tone of the Petroleum Ministry officials as regards the developments on India- Bangladesh -Myanmar pipeline. India is hopeful that the pipeline talks which had recently hit a stumbling block is likely to restart. The Petroleum Ministry sources say that it has got 'positive feelers' from the Bangladeshi side. 

RIL fires salvo at Anil's Reliance Energy on accounts: Reliance Group's flagship company RIL sent a notice to Reliance Energy, headed by the younger sibling, for not submitting audited accounts to the parent company.

It's Reliance XI vs Anil': Things have not improved much since Mr Anil Ambani met the media last, ahead of a RIL board meeting on December 27. Today, four months later, there was a sense of d\E9j\E0 vu.

RIL gives 75 pc dividend as net shoots up by 47 pc: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced record profits today even as the battle between the Ambani brothers continue to rage. The company announced a 46.4 per cent jump in net profit at Rs 7,572 crore as compared to Rs 5,160 crore in the year before riding on the back of rising margins in petroleum refining.

Govt clears natural gas production at K-G field: Reliance Industries Ltd on Wednesday said it has received government approval for its plan to begin natural gas production at its Krishna-Godavari basin field. 

Maruti rolls out 5 millionth car: Maruti Udyog Ltd on Wednesday reached 5 million mark by rolling out red WagonR from its stable in Gurgaon.

Temasek proposal to pick up Idea stake awaits CCEA nod: Notwithstanding objections raised by the Department of Telecom (DoT), the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has referred a Temasek Consortium proposal to pick up 47.6 per cent stake in Idea Cellular to a Cabinet Committee.

SC clears Shopper's Stop IPO: The Supreme Court has permitted Shopper's Stop Ltd to go ahead with its Rs 150-crore initial public offer (IPO) of 69,46,033 equity shares scheduled to open from Wednesday. 

Cotton production to touch 232 lakh bales: The Union Ministry of Textiles has claimed that the cotton production during the current cotton year (October, 2004-September, 2005) is estimated an all- time high of 232 lakh bales of 179 kg each.

Andhra Bank\92s net rises by 12 pc: Mumbai, April 27 Andhra Bank today reported a 12.2 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 520.15 crore for the fiscal ended March 31, 2005, as compared to Rs 463.50 crore in the previous fiscal.