Boeing lands orders for 787, 747-8 and 777 in Hong Kong

Published 6:23 am Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Boeing Co. picked up orders at the Hong Kong air show for its 747-8, 787 and 777 aircraft.

Boeing and Air China signed an agreement for five 747-8 passenger planes. The deal still requires government approval and will be posted to Boeing’s Web site thereafter.

Boeing also signed a preliminary agreement with HNA Group’s Hong Kong Airlines for 30 787-9s, six 777 freighters, and two 787-8 VIP jets.

The Air China order gives a boost to Boeing’s 747-8 passenger plane program. The passenger version, called the Intercontinental, had only 33 orders until Air China’s. The freighter version of the updated jumbo jet has 74.

“Air China has been operating 747s since the 1980s,” said He Li, vice president of Air China. “The new, high capacity Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental will deliver exceptional economics and a great flying experience to our customers.”

After it’s finalized, the order from Hong Kong Airlines will be one of Boeing’s largest for its 787 Dreamliner in the past few years.

Orders for the Dreamliner have slowed since the new 787 began running into delays in 2007. In 2009 and 2010, Boeing had more cancellations for its Dreamliner than it had new orders. The company plans to deliver the first 787 this year.

The Boeing orders are worth about $10 billion at list prices, though jet makers like Boeing discount heavily.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.