Airline To Fly New Routes With 737-800

Boeing tells ANN the American planemaker recently delivered a Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 to Tianjin-based Okay Airways Company Ltd., the Peoples' Republic of China's first private airline.

The Tianjin-based airline took delivery Wednesday, November 28. The new jet, the seventh 737 in Okay Airways' fleet, is under lease from Dublin-based aircraft lessor AWAS. The 737-800 is the first new-airplane delivery for Okay Airways and the first new-airplane delivery in four years for AWAS, of Ireland.

"Okay Airways selected the Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 to provide the optimum in safety, reliability and economics," said Liu Jieyin, president of Okay Airways. "We believe that the Next-Generation 737-800 is the best airplane to meet passenger needs and generate profits for the company, while offering lower ticket prices and benefiting our customers."

Okay's 737 will be used for passenger service, initially for routes such as Tianjin to Kunming, Changsha, Zhang Jiajie, Guilin, Hohhot, Taiyuan and Harbin, and other routes as the fleet expands.

"We are very proud of our relationship with Okay Airways, which is yet another milestone in our 90-year history with China," said Rob Laird, vice president, China and East Asia Sales - Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "China's projected growth and the superior economics and reliability of the Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 provide an excellent basis for Okay Airways' success."

The Boeing 737-800 is the best-selling version of the successful Next-Generation 737 family of airplanes. To date, Boeing has received more than 2,400 orders for the 737-800 from 79 customers.

FMI: www.boeing.com/commercial