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.