New US carrier Primaris Airlines said Thursday it had ordered 40 Boeing planes - half of them the new fuel-efficient 7E7 Dreamliner - with a list price of 3.8 billion dollars.
Primaris made firm orders for 20 Boeing 7E7-8 fuel-efficient Dreamliners with a total catalogue price of 2.6 billion dollars to be delivered between 2010 and 2013, along with an option for 15 more.
It also ordered 20 Boeing 737-800 planes with a list price of 1.2 billion dollars to be delivered between 2007 and 2010, reserving options for another 25.
Airlines usually get a steep discount on the list prices, particularly in slow aviation markets.
Primaris is the first US carrier to order the mid-size Dreamliner, due to come into service in 2008 using 20 percent less fuel than its competitors and with a range of 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 kilometers). The airline plans to launch an all business-class service on domestic routes in 2005 and international routes in 2006.
"With their higher operating efficiencies, the Boeing 737-800 and 7E7-8 Dreamliner aircraft fit our objectives of providing a premium product, at low operating costs on medium and long-haul, point-to-point flight segments," said Primaris chief executive Mark Morris.
"This will ensure both domestic and international business travellers of a value proposition unavailable in the marketplace today - high quality travel at fares far below those charged by other carriers for comparable service."
A decision on the engines to power the twin-engine Dreamliner will be made by mid-November, Primaris said.
The 737-800 will be powered by the CFM56-7B engine, made by CFM International, a joint venture between Snecma and General Electric, the carrier said.
"To have Primaris on the 7E7 launch team is especially gratifying as it validates our view the 7E7 not only adds value to a variety of airlines, but can also serve as a catalyst for innovative new business models," said Boeing 7E7 program general manager Mike Bair.
"With its unique, all-business class configuration Primaris is ideally suited to utilise the flexibility of both the Boeing 737-800 and the 7E7-8 Dreamliner aircraft," he said.
Boeing is banking its 7E7 Dreamliner will give it an edge over rival Airbus, the European planemaker, which is building a massive double-decker passenger jet, the A380.
But the American group now fears Airbus will use state-provided loans in Europe to make a direct rival to the 7E7, the A350.
In response, the United States this month quit a 12-year-old accord governing aircraft development subsidies and filing a World Trade Organisation (WTO) complaint over Airbus financing.
The Europeans filed a tit-for-tat complaint over alleged indirect subsidies by the United States for Boeing.
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