"Air India has been slated for scruffy, poorly maintained cabin interiors and sketchy service at times - however in the world of aviation this does not necessarily translate as poorly maintained functionality of aircraft and their airworthiness, all of which will undergo significant technical checks before deployed into the air.

In those talks, Boeing is edging forward as the front-runner to sell more of its 777X jets, two of the sources said.

While Air India has played a pivotal role in connecting India to the world, its history is checkered with multiple high-casualty incidents.