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BY OUR AVIATION CORRESPONDENT
4 August, 2005: Chinese national airlines have confirmed plans to acquire 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for US$6 billion, to meet demands of the nation’s growing airline industry. The airlines include Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and Boeing is slated to deliver its first aircraft by June 2008.
The contract would be signed early next month, according to statement issued to the press by the National Development and Reform Commission said on Friday.
The deal was initially singed in January and was not a new order from the Chinese government, Boeing China Vice President (Communications) George Liu said.
"We are finalising the commitments for 787s that have been signed back in January," Liu said, clarifying that it was not a new order.
In January, Boeing inked an initial agreement to sell 60 787 passenger jets with a list price of $7.2 billion to China. The deal also included the nation's largest carrier, China Southern Airlines. However, there was no mention about China Southern Airlines in the recent announcement.
"At this point, we are still in the process of working with six Chinese airlines," Liu said.
The nation's airline industry, which ferried 121 million passengers last year and is expecting a 16 per cent growth this year, needs more planes to meet growing air traffic.
Boeing expects the country’s airlines to spend $183 billion for planes over the next two decades.
Till date, Boeing has received 143 firm orders and 109 additional commitments for the fuel-efficient, long-range 787, including the 60 orders the Chinese airlines placed in January.
BY OUR AVIATION CORRESPONDENT
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