Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 23 seconds.
Boeing and Singapore Airlines (SIA) formally announced on Oct. 23 a deal for 20 777-9s and 19 787-10s, during a ceremony at the White House.
The order, previously attributed to an unidentified customer, is worth $13.8 billion at current list prices. The value of this sales transaction will sustain thousands of U.S. suppliers and more than 70,000 direct and indirect U.S. jobs during the delivery period of this contract. The airline also has options for 12 additional aircraft, six of each aircraft type.
The signing ceremony, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong, included SIA chief executive officer, Goh Choon Phong, and Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ president and chief executive officer, Kevin McAllister.
Peter Seah, SIA chairman, and Dinesh Keskar, senior vice-president of Asia Pacific and India sales at Boeing Commercial Airplanes were also in attendance.
“SIA has been a Boeing customer for many decades, and we are pleased to have finalized this major order for widebody aircraft, which will enable us to continue operating a modern and fuel-efficient fleet,” said Goh. “These new aircraft will also provide the SIA Group with new growth opportunities, allowing us to expand our network and offer even more travel options for our customers.”
SIA has more than 50 777s in service, and it is the launch customer of the 787-10, which is set to deliver in the first half of 2018. With a prior order for 30 787-10s, the airline now has 49 on order, making it the largest customer for this type. A long-range airplane that’s efficient at any stage length, the 787-10 will serve the airline’s medium-range operations while partnering with the 777-9 for the carrier’s long-haul routes. Its subsidiaries SilkAir, Scoot and SIA Cargo also operate Boeing airplanes with the 737 MAX 8 and 737-800, 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners and 747-400 Freighter types in service, respectively.
“Boeing and Singapore Airlines have been strong partners since the airline’s first operations 70 years ago and we are thrilled to finalise their purchase of 20 777Xs and 19 additional 787-10 Dreamliners,” said McAllister. “Singapore Airlines’ order is a testament to the market-leading capabilities of Boeing’s widebody airplanes and we look forward to delivering the very first 787-10 to them next year.”
With more than 1,280 orders from 70 customers worldwide, the 787 Dreamliner family offers three modern and efficient airplanes that are optimized for markets ranging from 200 seats to over 350 seats. To date, more than 600 787s have entered commercial service. They have flown nearly 200 million people on more than 560 unique routes–including 156 new nonstop routes–while saving an estimated 19 billion pounds of fuel.
The 787-10, the largest family member, adds seats and cargo capacity while offering 25 per cent better fuel efficiency per seat and lower emissions than the airplanes it will replace. The combination of capability, reliability and efficiency has attracted carriers from around the world, including Asia where the 787-10 will be able to connect all points within Asia at lower seat costs than any other twin-aisle airplane, with the flexibility to also link to Europe, Africa and Oceania.
The 777X, builds on the 777 aircraft, and it will be the largest and most-efficient twin-engine jet in the world. The 777X will also have the latest innovative technologies, including the most advanced and fuel-efficient commercial engine.
Opening new growth opportunities for airlines, the 777-9 will have the lowest operating cost per seat of any commercial airplane. The 777-9 seats 400-425 passengers with a range of 7,600 nautical miles (14,075 kilometres), and it is the only twin-engine available of its size.
