Boeing seals record $22bn planes order
BOEING yesterday officially sealed its largest ever commercial plane order in a $22.4bn (£14.2bn) deal with Indonesia’s Lion Air.
Lion Air ordered 201 Boeing 737 MAX and 29 next-generation 737-900ERs, with purchase rights for a further 150 planes from the US manufacturer, for use on both domestic and international routes.
Boeing said the deal was the largest commercial plane order in its history, both in dollar value and the total number of aircraft.
Lion Air announced the massive order during US President Barack Obama’s Asia-Pacific tour, but pen was only put to paper yesterday.
Europe’s Airbus had accused the US of applying political pressure to secure the deal.
“We’re excited to be the first airline in Asia to fly the 737 MAX,” Rusdi Kirana, Lion Air’s founder and president director, said in a statement.
Kirana signed the deal on the opening day of the Singapore Airshow – a major showcase for the aviation industry in the region.
He said the purchases would be made possible with funds from the US Export Import Bank and private banks including BNP Paribas.
The first aircraft will be delivered in 2017 with the remainder up until 2026.
Lion Air carried 85,000 passengers a day domestically last year and expects to increase this to 100,000 passengers daily by the end of this year.
The firm first took to the skies in 2000 and claims to be Indonesia’s largest private airline.
Boeing’s New York-listed shares rose 0.95 per cent yesterday to close at $75.56.