Older Widebodies Will Fill In While Carrier Waits For 787s

Boeing and Azerbaijan Airlines announced Thursday the two sides have finalized an order for two Boeing 737-900ERs, as well as two 767-300ERs. The latter order marks the first new deal for that widebody plane in some time, and a stopgap measure while the airline waits for its 787 Dreamliners.

The order is valued at $449 million at list prices. One of the 767s is a substitution for a previously ordered 787, as reflected today on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries Web site. Including Thursday's announcement, Azerbaijan Airlines has a total of eight Boeing airplanes on order: four 737-900ERs, two 787-8s and two 767-300ERs.

"We are eager to build our Boeing fleet with these additional 737s and 767s to meet continued demand for air travel in our region," said Jahangir Askerov, president of Azerbaijan Airlines. "Today's order is yet another step forward in our strong relationship with Boeing. We look forward to operating the 787 and benefiting from its advanced performance features, however the 767-300ER is the economical and logical choice to fulfill our interim capacity targets."

Azerbaijan Airlines, based in Baku, is the national airline of Azerbaijan. As ANN reported, the carrier placed its original order for three 787s in February 2007.

As delays to the 787 Dreamliner program drag on, it's likely other Dreamliner customers will also opt for the 767 as a short-term replacement. Boeing's European rival, Airbus, has enjoyed a similar resurgence in orders for its own A330 widebody, to tide customers over until the upcoming A350 XWB is ready for deliveries. 

FMI: www.boeing.com