Of all the aircraft on view at the India Aviation air show in Hyderabad, the Boeing 787 painted in Air India's livery may have been the most curious—and embarrassing. The 787 has been ready for delivery since December, with a second aircraft in hand for the customer as well, but neither will begin revenue service anytime soon because Air India has yet to train any pilots to fly the new transport. The interior cabin is configured for 238 economy- and 18 business-class seats.

Air India has decided to delay by about two years the delivery of three Boeing 777s on order. The aircraft had been slated for delivery by the end of 2013. “We have rescheduled the delivery of three Boeing 777 aircraft ... The delivery has been postponed so that capacity induction is in line with our requirements,” Air India spokesman K. Swaminathan told Aviation Week yesterday. Swaminathan denied that the 777 delivery delay is due to the ongoing financial crisis at the airline.

INDIAN AFFAIRS: EADS Cassidian has appointed Peter Gutsmiedl as the first chief executive officer of its India operations. Gutsmiedl, who will be based in Bengaluru, will lead the next phase of Cassidian’s engagement with India, a company release said March 14. Before assuming the new position, Gutsmiedl served in various senior and board-level roles at Cassidian, which is the security and defense company of EADS.