Boeing, Kenya Airways Sign Deal for 3 Additional 787s-8s

SEATTLE, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Kenya Airways signed an order in Nairobi on Dec. 15 for three additional 787-8 Dreamliners. The airline now has nine 787s on order, and also holds four options for Boeing's fast-selling new airplane. The airline's original order for six Boeing 787s was made in March and included six options. The three additional 787s will be added to Boeing's Orders & Deliveries Web site this week.

"We have had remarkable success with Boeing's 777," said Titus Naikuni, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer. "When one weighs the operational advantage these two models bring in tandem, we felt it most prudent that we move now to ensure Kenya Airways retains the best value, and brings a world-class standard of service, for visitors flying to the wide open spaces of Africa."

With the delivery of a Boeing 777-200ER in 2004, Kenya Airways became the first carrier in sub-Sahara Africa to offer 777 service to and from the region. The airline will take delivery of its fourth 777 in February, and has complemented its fleet of Next-Generation 737s with three new 737-800s this year. Kenya Airways will receive its first 787 in October 2010 with the deliveries of the nine Dreamliners extending out to late 2012. Since 1996, Kenya Airways has ordered 19 aircraft directly from Boeing and currently operates another 12 Boeing airplanes on lease.

"It's wonderful to see such a good Boeing customer like Kenya Airways experiencing phenomenal growth," said Lee Monson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes' vice president of Sales for the Middle East and Africa. "We look forward to our ongoing collaboration and the shared insight from an airline team that continues to demonstrate such a high degree of professionalism."

Kenya Airways serves more than 2 million passengers annually and has the largest network into Africa. The carrier is going through an aggressive expansion program and it has added destinations that include Bamako, Mali; Dakar, Senegal; Maputo, Mozambique; Istanbul; Paris and Guangzhou, China. The airline plans to soon launch service to Asmara, Eritrea; and Sierra Leone. This complements 17 weekly flights to London and Amsterdam and regular schedules to select destinations in Asia, including Dubai, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, scheduled for delivery beginning in 2008, provides passengers with a better flying experience and operators with a more efficient commercial jetliner. Thirty-seven airlines have logged 461 orders and commitments worth more than $68 billion at current list prices since the 787 launch in April 2004, making the Dreamliner the most successful commercial airplane launch in history.