Bhutan will benefit from being the immediate neighbour of India as the country is slowly becoming a major aviation powerhouse of the region, a Bhutanese news portal has said.

In its report, The Bhutan Live said: "India is expected to become a major international aviation hub, and it will also benefit Bhutan directly being its immediate neighbour as India believes in the ‘Neighbourhood first policy’."

Air India deal:

Tata Group-owned Air India last month announced that it has signed letters of intent with Airbus and Boeing to acquire both widebody and single-aisle aircraft.

The order comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, as well as 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft.

The A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines, and the B777/787s by engines from GE Aerospace.  All single-aisle aircraft will be powered by engines from CFM International.

Commenting on the occasion, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman, N Chandrasekaran, said: “Air India is on a large transformation journey across safety, customer service, technology, engineering, network and human resources. Modern, efficient fleet is a fundamental component of this transformation. This order is an important step in realising Air India’s ambition, articulated in its Vihaan.