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Air-India Charters, a subsidiary of flag carrier Air India, has ordered 18 Blended Winglet Shipsets to be installed by Boeing as Buyer Furnished Equipment beginning in October 2006. In addition, the carrier has also taken delivery of 4 new Blended Winglet Equipped 737-800s, on lease from ILFC. While return on investment, based on fuel savings alone, is projected to be just three years the economic and performance benefits of Blended Winglet Technology will be with Air-India Charters for the life of their aircraft.

"Air-India Charters is a newcomer to the low-cost market in the region and they're planning on significant growth over the next couple of years," says Aviation Partners Boeing Vice President of Sales Patrick LaMoria. "We're very happy to be a partner with Air-India Charters as they introduce a new era of airline service to India and extend their reach with the benefits of Blended Winglet Technology."

With fuel prices today in India over $2 per gallon, the business case for Blended Winglet Technology makes more and more sense. Another plus, however, is the high-tech image of this visible technology. "Low-cost carriers in the region are trying hard to tap into a growing Indian middle class market that's very tech-savvy," says Aviation Partners Boeing Director of Sales Christopher Stafford. "The high-tech dimension of Blended Winglet Technology is of value to Air-India Charters and helps to visibly differentiate their product from the competition."

Air-India Charters, founded in 1993, has been expanding its route network throughout the Middle East and Gulf region. As Blended Winglet Equipped 737-800 join the fleet early next year the carrier will begin to expand its route network to include destinations in the Far East such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta.

For Air-India Charters, Blended Winglet Equipped NG 737-800s are just the right choice in terms of minimizing operating costs and maximizing opportunities. "Profitability of a budget airline can be greatly enhanced with Blended Winglet Technology," says Aviation Partners President and CEO, John Reimers. "Our technology helps airlines lower costs, maximize returns and pull ahead of other carriers in terms of return on investment."

Over 80% of new Boeing 737-700/800 aircraft will be delivered with Aviation Partners Boeing Blended Winglets Systems. Blended Winglets are also certified on the Boeing 737-300 and 757-200. Aviation Partners Boeing is currently seeking a launch customer to certify Blended Winglets for the 767-300ER. Over 1,150 Blended Winglet Systems are already installed and in service on Boeing aircraft with orders and options approaching 2,000 additional shipsets.