...But Where Will Some Of Those Planes Come From?

Boeing has found a new home for some orphaned narrowbody airliners. The manufacturer signed a lease agreement this week with Mexicana Group for 25 717-200 airplanes, to be used by the carrier's MexicanaClick operation.

Under the arrangement, MexicanaClick will begin receiving the 717s from Boeing Capital Corporation in March, making Mexicana the first North American 717 operator outside the US. In addition to the airplanes, Boeing through its Commercial Aviation Services group will provide training for flight crew, cabin crew and maintenance staff as well as spare parts provisioning.

The 717s will be gradually phased in throughout the MexicanaClick network, replacing the carrier's current fleet of Fokker F-100s. The relatively short-term 717 lease agreement -- said to be less than five years -- gives Mexicana time to decide on a more permanent replacement for those aging planes.

"With these 25 airplanes, we give a strong boost to MexicanaClick and a better way to improve the passengers' experience and the airline's operating efficiency to maintain its leadership both in quality of equipment as well as on-board services," said Manuel Borja, Mexicana Group director general.

Click's 717 fleet will be configured to carry 104 passengers, with 20 in Mexicana Elite class and 84 in 'tourist' class.

At least 16 of the 717s will be former Midwest Airlines planes. As ANN reported, Midwest returned those leased planes last year, as part of an agreement with Republic Airlines to take over flying duties on several Midwest routes.

Production of the 717 ended in 2006. So far, Midwest hasn't said whether it plans to return the nine remaining 717s in its fleet... but, well, you do the math.

Other possibilities for the remaining nine planes bound for MexicanaClick include AirTran, QantasLink, Spanair, and Hawaiian Airlines.

FMI: www.boeing.com/boeingcapital