Mulls Order For As Many As 15 Of The Current Generation Of The Widebody Aircraft

Emirates Airline is considering the purchase of as many as 15 of the current generation of Boeing's 777 aircraft, according to the carrier's president.

Speaking on the sidelines of the IATA conference in Miami, Emirates president Tim Clark said that a possible order is being closely scrutinized by the company ... but they're in no particular hurry as Boeing has "ample availability" to fill the order.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Boeing is working to maintain production of its current 777s as it transitions to the new 777X, which should see its first deliveries in 2020. Emirates already has placed firm orders for 150 of the new variant, and holds 50 options.

The planes Clark said the carrier has in mind are 10-15 of the 777-200LR aircraft, which had a range of 9,395 nautical miles. Emirates already has 10 of that particular model, which it flies on nonstop routes from its Dubai base to South America and Oceania.

Boeing has said it need to have orders for 40-60 of the existing 777s on the books each year to keep its output at 100 planes annually. So far, there have been 25 orders placed for the current airplane.

FMI: www.boeing.com