EVERETT – You haven’t seen the last of me yet.

If airplanes could talk, that’s what the Boeing Co.’s 767 would say.

The plane has enjoyed a revival of late, picking up as many orders in the first two months of 2007 as it has in the last three years. In fact, Boeing has received more firm orders for its Everett-built 767 than it has for any of its other commercial airplanes this year.

On Thursday, Boeing posted a request for six 767s from an unidentified buyer on its Web site, bringing total 767 orders for the year to 36. Earlier this week, the company also celebrated the completion of its fourth commercial 767 jet that will be modified into a refueling tanker for the Italian Air Force. Boeing plans to offer the U.S. Air Force a tanker version of its 767 in a competition with Northrop Grumman for a multibillion-dollar contract.

And that might just be why the 767 jet has received so many orders lately. Industry analyst Scott Hamilton offered two theories about the 767’s recent success.

Air carriers might not be able to wait for Boeing’s replacement for the 767, its 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is sold out on its new fuel-efficient Dreamliner until late 2012 or early 2013. And rival Airbus’ answer to the 787, its A350 Extra Wide Body jet, won’t be ready until 2013. Customers could be ordering 767s to tide them over until the 787 or A350 XWB are available, Hamilton said.

Or “Boeing could be giving it away to keep the line alive” for the Air Force contract, Hamilton said.

The Air Force previously awarded the contract to Boeing before it was discovered the company offered jobs to a Pentagon weapons buyer and her family in exchange for steering the bid Boeing’s way.

The recently reopened competition pits Boeing against the consortium of Northrop Grumman and Airbus’ parent, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. While many analysts initially suspected the bid was Boeing’s to lose, last week, an Air Force representative said the agency likely will split the contract between the two. The Air Force is expected to announce its decision this summer.

Although Boeing may outsource some of the work on its KC-767 tanker, company officials maintain that Everett will continue to produce the plane. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems performs the modifications necessary for tankers order by Italy and Japan. Boeing will deliver the first KC-767 to Italy later this year.

“We’re eager to start modifying the fourth 767 for the Italian Air Force,” said Joe Shaheen, director of Boeing International Tanker Programs, in a prepared statement. “Once completed, Italy will have an advanced tanker fleet with unrivaled capability and operational flexibility.”