Xiamen Airlines Identified As 25-Plane Customer

It's been something of a mixed bag lately for Boeing's Next Generation 737 Family. This week has seen not one, but two high-profile Airworthiness Directives issued on the erstwhile narrowbody aircraft, to address a potential safety issue brought into stark -- and flaming -- relief with the August 20 ground fire onboard a China Airlines 737-800 in Okinawa.

While that issue has garnered a considerable amount of attention lately, as airlines around the world inspect their newer 737s for loose slat downstop bolts... it's also worth noting Boeing continues to sell the bejeezus out of its best-selling aircraft.

On the hells of a 42-plane order by Norwegian Air Shuttle earlier this week, now comes word China's Xiamen Airlines is the previously unidentified customer for 25 737-800s first noted on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries Web site in early August. The order is worth $1.9 billion at 2007 average list prices, according to Boeing.

"This order of 25 737-800s plus 10 purchase rights allows us to simplify our fleet with the most cost-efficient and superior-performance airplane in its class," said Yang Guanghua, president, Xiamen Airlines. "The Boeing 737 will help us meet our goal of reducing operating costs and increasing return on investment for our shareholders. Additionally, with their passenger-pleasing interior, the new 737s will carry our customers in utmost comfort on all our domestic routes."

Boeing and Xiamen Airlines marked the order Friday with the delivery of a 737-800 which will enter Xiamen Airlines' all-Boeing fleet. As ANN reported, in December 2005 Xiamen set a milestone when its order for 10 737-800s took the 737 family past the historic 6000th order mark. The airplane delivered Friday is one of the 10 ordered in 2005.

"Our commitment to Xiamen Airlines and the Chinese aviation industry dates back 35 years," said Rob Laird, vice president of Sales - Greater China, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Today marks another great milestone in our partnership with Xiamen Airlines as it embarks on its strategic fleet expansion plan."

As of the end of July, total orders for all 737 airplanes stood at 7,153, while total orders for Next-Generation 737s were 4,021. Boeing has unfilled Next-Generation 737 orders for 1,690 airplanes worth more than $120 billion at current list prices.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.xiamenair.com.cn/english/index.asp