How secret London talks led to Air India’s gigantic plane order

Air India's record aircraft deal has put the Tata Group-owned airline in the league of aspiring global carriers.

- ADITI SHAH TIM HEPHER

On Tuesday, it provisionally agreed to acquire almost 500 jets from Airbus and Boeing to take on domestic and international rivals.

Striking the largest-ever deal by one airline took months of secret talks carried out a stone's throw from Britain's Buckingham palace and culminating in a celebration over coastal Indian curries, according to people involved in the talks.

Confidentiality was lifted on Tuesday as leaders hailed the accord in a diplomatic embrace between leading G20 nations. Tata Group, which regained control of Air India last year after decades of public ownership, put out just six paragraphs.

Its low-key announcement illustrates a rising breed of private airline owners transforming a financially-risky airline sector, alongside the publicity shy founders of IndiGo.

The deal was in the making for over a year, insiders said, recounting details of the process on condition of anonymity.