Boeing Business Jets Delivers its 100th 'Green' Airplane

Boeing Business Jets has just delivered its 100th "green" -- unfurnished -- airplane. Representatives of the government of India accepted the milestone airplane at the Boeing Delivery Center in Seattle.

"One hundred business jets delivered in 10 years is an amazing testament to the BBJ's wide market appeal and the great work of the Boeing team members who design, sell, build and support these airplanes," said Steven Hill, president of Boeing Business Jets.

Boeing delivers VIP airplanes in so-called "green" condition, meaning the airplane does not have interior furnishings or exterior paint. Customers then work with designers and interior completion centers to install an interior that exactly matches the owner's preferences and needs.

About 35 percent of BBJs ordered are for government heads of state and are typically designed to seat between 25 to 50 passengers. The Indian Government BBJ will be completed at PATS Aircraft completion center in Delaware, a wholly owned subsidiary of DeCrane Aircraft. PATS Aircraft will install an interior that includes a stateroom, meeting room, communications center and seating for 48 passengers. The jet is the first of three on order. The BBJs will replace the government's existing fleet of 737-200s.

"The Boeing Company is honored that the Government of India has utilized the 737 Boeing Business Jet for the transportation of VVIPs and heads of state," said Dinesh Keskar, Boeing Commercial Airplanes' vice president of Sales. "The delivery of this airplane will continue to build upon our long-term partnership and we are extremely pleased that the BBJ will be a part of that great future."

Boeing Business Jets is a joint venture with General Electric, launched in July 1996 to respond to market demand for a larger, more capable business airplane that can fly more than 6,000 nautical miles.

The BBJ is a high-performance derivative of the commercially popular Next-Generation 737-700. Providing unsurpassed levels of space, comfort and utility, the BBJ cabin offers 807 square feet of space, nearly three times the interior space of competing models with similar range capability.

In addition to the 737-based BBJ, BBJ 2 and BBJ 3, Boeing Business Jets also offers VIP versions of the 747-8, 767, 777 and 787. Boeing Business Jets' order book stands at 124 jets including 99 BBJs, 14 BBJ 2s , two BBJ 3s and nine widebody VIP airplanes.

FMI: www.boeing.com/commercial/bbj/html/index_html.html