Carrier Also Switches 777 Order
Boeing confirmed Monday that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, part of
the Air France/KLM Group, placed several orders earlier this year
for a total of six Boeing Next-Generation 737s. These orders have
been accounted for on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries Web site under
the unidentified customer category.
The order is valued at approximately $423 million at list
prices.
KLM converted six options for Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s to
be delivered before mid-2008. The airplanes, which are equipped
with fuel-efficient, emissions-reducing Blended Winglets, will
replace several Classic 737s in KLM's fleet and allow for further
growth. KLM currently operates a mixed fleet of Boeing Classic and
Next-Generation 737 airplanes for its short-to-medium-haul
operations.
Earlier this year, KLM also converted an existing order for
three 777-200ERs to three 777-300ERs. This model conversion had
been identified previously on Boeing's Web site. Operating multiple
models of the same airplane family gives the airline the
flexibility to match the right airplane size to market demand.
In a combination of leases and direct purchase, KLM will operate
18 Boeing 777s by 2009.
"In the current market
environment, our customers want the most fuel-efficient products to
keep their costs under control. Boeing airplanes are designed to
maximize fuel efficiency and, at the same time, improve
environmental performance," said Marlin Dailey, vice president of
Sales for Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Boeing Commercial
Airplanes.
The 737-800, which can seat 162 to 189 passengers, is Boeing's
best-selling variant of the Next-Generation 737 family. The
Next-Generation 737 has logged 560 net orders in 2006. As of
October 31, 101 customers have placed orders for more than 3,500
Next-Generation 737s; the program has about 1,440 unfilled orders
with a value of about $96 billion at current list prices.
The 777 family of airplanes is popular with passengers and
airlines alike due to its fuel-efficient twin-engine design, high
reliability, low operating costs, and comfortable and spacious
interior. The 777-300ER carries 365 passengers in a standard
three-class configuration up to 7,880 nautical miles. Over the life
of the 777 program, 43 customers worldwide have placed 852 orders
for 777s. The program has about 261 unfulfilled orders worth about
$65 billion at current list prices.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes has booked 775 airplane orders this
year, through October 31.