Xiamen Airlines orders 25 next-generation Boeing 737-800s
By Our Corporate bureau | 01 Sep 2007
Boeing has identified China's Xiamen Airlines as the customer that ordered 25 next-generation Boeing 737-800s that was earlier listed as unidentified on Boeing's orders and deliveries website in early August. The order is worth $1.9 billion at 2007 list prices.
On 30 August, the airline celebrated the delivery of a 737-800. In December 2005, Xiamen set a milestone when its order for 10 737-800s took the Boeing 737 family past the historic 6,000-order mark. The airplane delivered on 30 August was one of the 10 ordered in 2005.
The 737-800 is the most popular member of the next-generation 737 family, and more than 2,200 airplanes have been ordered. As of end-July 2007, total orders for all Boeing 737 airplanes stood at 7,153 while total orders for next-generation 737s were 4,021. Boeing has a pending order book of 1,690 next-generation 737 airplanes, worth more than $120 billion at current list prices.
The order of 25 737-800s plus 10 purchase rights allows Xiamen Airlines to simplify its fleet, reduce operating costs and increase return on investment for its shareholders, and airline representative said. The planes will be fitted with passenger-pleasing interiors and offer higher levels of comfort for domestic passengers.