Boeing has logged 10 more orders for its 737-800, as Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair recently exercised some of its purchase options on a previous contract to add to its all-737 fleet.

Deliveries against the order, valued at $705 million at list prices, are slated to begin in 2008. The order was previously accounted for on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website and attributed to an unidentified customer.

Ryanair recently completed its Boeing 737-200 replacement program, and today operates one of the youngest aircraft fleets in Europe, composed entirely of 737-800s.

"The outstanding reliability and lowest operating costs of Boeing's 737-800 aircraft lie at the heart of Ryanair's ability to deliver Europe's lowest fares and best punctuality to our passengers," said Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair. "We are delighted to be buying a further 10 Boeing 737-800s that will allow us to bring even more low fares with a no-fuel-surcharge guarantee to the people of Europe."

That last comment is a jab at Ryanair's competitors -- most notably Poland's LOT -- which has added the surcharges to offset rising fuel costs.

Ryanair is the largest European operator of 737s, and second in the world after Southwest Airlines. The carrier celebrated the delivery of its 100th Next-Generation 737 in March.

The 737-800 is the most popular member of the Next-Generation 737 family, having sold more than 1,780 airplanes. As of May 31, 2006, 97 customers have placed orders for more than 3,200 Next-Generation 737s. The program has more than 1,200 units of unfilled orders with a value of about $85 billion at current list prices.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.ryanair.com