Tata Group is to buy 250 planes from Airbus in the largest aviation deal in world history. The deal includes purchasing 40 A350 widebody long-range aircraft and 210 narrow-body aircraft for Tata Group’s Air India.

“This is a historic moment for Airbus to help script Air India’s revival,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said in a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ratan Tata, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders.”

The deal with Airbus is part of a larger order for 470 planes from Air India, which may include an order for 220 planes from Boeing.

“This contract is a milestone in India-France friendly relations,” Mr Macron said at the meeting, which Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Jyotiratia Scindia and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran meeting also attended.

Prime Minister Modi said India would be the third largest player in the aviation industry. “India will need 2,500 aircraft over the next 15 years,” he added.

There are two versions of the A350 family – the A350-900 and the longer-body A350-1000. Airbus said that the A350 can fly efficiently on any flight segment, from short-haul to ultra-long-haul routes, with a range of up to 17,000 kilometres, and can carry 300 to 410 passengers in a typical three-class layout and up to 480 in a single-class layout passenger.

Airbus’ narrow-body aircraft include the A320 and A220 family of aircraft. Many airlines in India already operate the A320 family of aircraft.

India is also a significant buyer of French military aircraft. India recently bought Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation after the company used Dassault-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets for decades.

Air India is also likely to revamp its livery. Last month, it committed $400 million to refurbish the interiors of its entire widebody fleet. Air India said the planes would feature “latest-generation seats and a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system”.