Boeing, China eastern Airlines finalise order for 15 787-9 Dreamliners
KUALA LUMPUR: Boeing and China Eastern Airlines yesterday finalised an order for 15 7879 Dreamliners valued at nearly US$4 billion to strengthen China Eastern’s expanding long-haul fleet.
“We are very happy to introduce the new 787 Dreamliners into our long-haul fleet.
“The addition of these nextgeneration, fuel-efficient airplanes will play a key role in supporting China Eastern’s strategy for international expansion, enabling us to realise profits in point-to-point routes across the Pacific Ocean and between China and Europe,” said China Eastern Airlines Chairman Liu Shaoyong in a statement.
China Eastern plans to operate the new 787-9s on routes between China, North America and Europe, bolstering its com- petitivenessintheinternational long-haul market. With growing air traffic demand, the carrier plans to increase frequencies on existing routes from Shanghai to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Toronto, as well as their newly-launched destination, Chicago.
The routes are currently operated by the airline’s flagship 777-300ER airplane.
“China Eastern has been a long-standing Boeing customer and we are honoured that the passenger-preferred 787 Dreamliner will join their world-class fleet,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president, Northeast Asia Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes in a joint statement.
He said the combination of both the 777-300ER and 787-9 would provide the airline with market-leading economics as well as flexibility that will contribute significantly to their success operating long-haul flights to North America.
Meanwhile, the 787 family has proven to be an unmatched market opener, with more than 100 new non-stop routes already in service or announced, as well as an effective tool to increase frequency profitably, often in conjunction with the 777.
For China Eastern, operating both the 777 and 787 will allow the airline to continue growing its international presence with more capacity and cargo payload on key existing frequencies, while also providing the flexibility for further expansion in high-growth markets.
The 787-9 complements and extends the super-efficient 787 family.
With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 m.) over the 787-8, the 787-9 can fly more passengers and more cargo farther yet with the same exceptional environmental performance -- 20 per cent less fuel use and 20 per cent fewer emissions than the airplanes they replace.
Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines is one of the three major airlines in mainland China.
Flying a fleet of over 560 long-haul and short-haul airplanes with an average age of less than seven years, China Eastern serves nearly 100 million travellers annually and is ranked the seventh largest carrier in the world in terms of passenger transportation volume.
More than 60 customers from six continents of the world have placed orders for more. — Bernama