Major contribution

Retired Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major’s past experience in negotiating defense deals when he was Chief of Air Staff should come in handy when India’s national carrier Air India pursues its claim for compensation from the Boeing Company for delays in delivering aircraft. Major, who is an independent director on Air India’s board, is slated to be part of the team that will leave for the US to negotiate with the Seattle based manufacturer regarding compensation of $ 840 million, reported Hindustan Times (HT) on August 26, 2010.

Fali Major: experienced negotiator

Air India had placed an order for 27 B-787 Dreamliners and as per the original schedule the first aircraft should have been delivered in September 2008 with one more following in every subsequent month. The first aircraft has yet to arrive. By March 2011 Boeing was to have delivered 18 aircraft but the first one is likely to be here only in April 2011, HT states. Sources informed the newspaper that Boeing has offered compensation of $ 145.8 million, a fraction of the amount sought by Air India. The airline has also decided to ask Boeing to double the amount of compensation paid per day from $ 15,000 to $ 30,000 on account of loss of productivity, HT reports.