Boeing Orders Roll In as 737-900ER Wins FAA Approval for Commercial Service

Boeing revealed Nigerian carrier Arik Air as a new customer for 787-9s, 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs on April 26.

Indian carrier SpiceJet ordered 10 more Boeing 737-800s on April 26, increasing its total buy of the type to 30. On the same day Boeing revealed Russia's S7 Group as a new customer for the 737-800. The aircraft will be operated by S7 Charter, a new sister company to S7 Airlines. Credit: Boeing Photo

Indonesia's Lion Air was the first customer for the Boeing 737-900ER, which the FAA approved for commercial service on April 20. Credit: Boeing Photo

Boeing has seen orders for its airliner models pour in during a week when the Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing's newest 737 model, the 737-900ER, for commercial service.

After winning firm orders from Virgin Atlantic Airways for 15 Boeing 787s and from Air Canada for 23-adding to Air Canada's earlier commitment for 14-Boeing won a repeat order yesterday from Indian carrier SpiceJet for 10 737-800s. New Delhi-based SpiceJet had already ordered 30 737-800s in two previous deals in February 2005 and August 2006.

Yesterday, Boeing revealed that Russia's S7 Group-which operates S7 Airlines-also had ordered 10 Boeing 737-800s in a deal originally signed last November. On its aircraft order web site Boeing had, at S7's instruction, classified the aircraft as being ordered by an unannounced customer until given the go-ahead to announce the deal formally. Moscow-based S7 Group will create a new charter airline, S7 Charter, to operate the 737-800s on routes from Moscow to popular resort destinations outside Russia.

The company's good news on April 26 didn't end there. After revealing the FAA's type approval of the 737-900ER, Boeing announced an order for six Boeing 777 Freighters from US private equity firm Oak Tree Hill Capital Partners. Oak Tree Hill will purchase the aircraft through a new aircraft leasing company it is establishing to market the aircraft for lease to airlines. The Oak Tree Hill buy takes Boeing's order total for the 777 Freighter to 71 aircraft and 10 customers have now ordered the model.

Before the day ended, Boeing revealed another previously unidentified order. This time it was for three models of its aircraft and came from new Nigerian airline Arik Air. At the delivery ceremony for two Boeing 737-700s previously ordered by Arik Air and soon to be operated from its home base at Lagos, the two companies said Arik Air had also ordered three 787-9s, two 777-200LR (Longer Range) aircraft and two 777-300ER (Extended Range) widebodies. The 777-200LR has the longest range of any airliner in Boeing's family.

Arik Air was launched last year and expects to grow its fleet to 16 aircraft by June.

The list-price total Boeing has quoted for the four newly revealed aircraft orders comes to more than $4.3 billion, though customer discounts are likely to reduce the net value of the deals somewhere below $4 billion.

By incorporating an extra pair of exit doors to increase maximum passenger capacity compared with the original 737-900 from which it was developed, the newly approved 737-900ER will be allowed to carry up to 220 passengers in single-class service. The 737-900ER also features a flat pressure bulkhead at the rear of the aircraft to increase interior volume and a two-position tailskid to improve takeoff and landing capability.

The 737-900ER's wing leading- and trailing-edge flap systems also incorporate enhancements to improve takeoff and landing capability and its maximum takeoff weight is 13,500 pounds greater than the original, 189-passenger 737-900. Together, optional Blended Winglets and optional auxiliary tanks can increase the range of the 737-900ER to 3,682 miles. (That's 3,200 nautical miles, the unit of length in which airline flight distances are normally measured, or 5,925 kilometers.)

Indonesia's Lion Air became the first customer to buy the 737-900ER on July 18, 2005, when it placed an order for 30. More than 100 737-900ERs are now on order by Lion Air, Continental Airlines and others.