The Boeing Co. took two orders for a total of 94 737s on Thursday, including the first firm orders from a previously announced deal with China.
The largest deal was with Southwest Airlines, which announced it was exercising its options on 79 737-700s. The planes will be delivered between 2007 and 2012.
The deal is worth about $4.5 billion at list prices, although analysts say Boeing has been discounting 737 orders by about 30 percent.
Southwest has now ordered a total of 370 737-700s, of which 140 are still to be delivered. The planes seat between 126 and 149 passengers, and make up the bulk of Southwest’s all-737 fleet.
Also on Thursday, Air China announced that it had signed a firm order for 15 737-800s.
The deal would be worth close to $1 billion before discounts.
The order is part of the preliminary agreement for 80 jets that Chinese government officials signed last week in Washington, D.C., Boeing spokeswoman Linda Lee said. Air China is the first airline to complete the paperwork for its share of the planes.
Air China will take delivery of the jets after 2008, Lee said. Boeing’s 737-800 seats between 162 and 189 passengers.
Speaking Wednesday in Everett, Chinese President Hu Jintao said his country will need 600 more commercial airplanes in the next five years to meet growing demand for air transportation.
Boeing also has taken an order for five 787s from an undisclosed customer. The company revealed the order on Wednesday when it updated its year-to-date order totals.
Boeing will leave it up to the customer to announce the order, Lee said.
Reporter Bryan Corliss: 425-339-3454 or corliss@heraldnet.com.
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