Boeing Delivers Air China Its 150th Boeing Airplane

BEIJING, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Air China yesterday celebrated the delivery of the 150th Boeing airplane to Air China. The new Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 is the first airplane in China to feature the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games livery highlighting the official mascots -- the five "Fuwa" animal cartoon characters.

Air China, China's national flag air carrier, is the official airline partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The airline is the largest air carrier based in mainland China in terms of its international traffic and size of its wide-body fleet.

"Our relationship with Boeing is very important to Air China's business," said Ma Xulun, president of Air China. "Boeing airplanes play a critical role in our operation and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation."

The new airplane is leased by GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) to Air China Group. GECAS currently leases two Boeing 747-400SF freighters and nine Boeing 737 passenger aircraft to Air China.

"We are delighted to expand our longstanding relationship with Air China with the delivery of this new Boeing 737-800," said Ms. Li Liu, senior vice president, Marketing, for GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) in Beijing. "The Olympic Games livery makes this plane even more special to us, since GE is a sponsor of the 2008 Beijing games."

Air China is currently operating more than 200 aircraft in its fleet, including 150 Boeing airplanes: Boeing 747-400 passenger and -400 Combis, 747-200/-400 Freighters, 777-200s, 767-200/-300s, 757s, Classic and Next-Generation 737s, and 15 787 Dreamliners on order.

"Air China and Boeing have a historical relationship that goes back to 1972 when Air China became the first Boeing customer in China with an order of 10 Boeing 707s," said Rob Laird, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president -- China Sales. "With the delivery of this 150th Boeing commercial airplane to Air China in its appealing festive livery, we are proud of this auspicious milestone and look forward to further years of successful collaboration."

The superior operating performance, fuel efficiency and unmatched reliability of the Boeing Next-Generation 737 make it the premier choice of successful carriers around the world. The 737 is the world's most popular jet airplane, with more than 6,600 sold worldwide.