Boeing receives first 737 order since March

World Wednesday 19/June/2019 11:29 AM
By: Times News Service
Boeing receives first 737 order since March

Paris: Boeing confirmed it had signed a letter of intent with International Airlines Group (IAG) to sell them 200 737 Max planes.

It is the the first order the company has received for the 737 since the model was grounded globally after a crash in March.

"We're very pleased to sign this letter of intent with Boeing and are certain that these aircraft will be a great addition to IAG's short-haul fleet," said Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive. "We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators."

Walsh said the group would consider the 737 MAX as part of diversifying its future fleet to spur competition.

"We are truly honoured and humbled by the leadership at International Airlines Group for placing their trust and confidence in the 737 MAX and, ultimately, in the people of Boeing and our deep commitment to quality and safety above all else," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President & CEO Kevin McAllister. "We are delighted that the IAG team recognised the superior qualities of the 737 MAX and has indicated an intention to return to the Boeing 737 family. We look forward to building on our long-standing partnership with IAG for many years to come."

"Proud of the work our team is doing to return the 737 MAX safely to service and thankful for our partnership with IAG," said Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg on Twitter.

With the 737 Max order, Boeing said IAG will fly a combination of the 737 Max 8, which seats up to 178 passengers in a two-class configuration, and the 230-seat 737 Max 10 jets.

IAG is currently almost exclusively operating a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.

The American aircraft manufacturer announced the signing of the document with the IAG, owner of British Airways, at the ongoing Paris Air Show, and the purchase will also include the larger 737 Max 10 jets.

The new deal is as a boost to Boeing's efforts to win back customers' confidence in its 737 Max jets after two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in October and March respectively. The two disasters killed a total of 346 people.
The two companies did not disclose the price of the order. IAG group finalised a major order for Boeing's long-haul 777X jets earlier this year to complement its fleet of current-generation 777s and new 787 Dreamliners.

IAG is one of the world's largest airline groups with 582 aircraft flying to 268 destinations around the world, carrying 113 million passengers in 2018.