Washington - SPA
Boeing company announced Friday that Taiwan-based China Airlines ordered six of its big 777 jetliners. It was the first time China Airlines has ordered 777s, a long-haul airplane generally used for international flights. The 777 order is worth about $2 billion at list prices, but airlines typically negotiate steep discounts for orders of multiple airplanes. Boeing said the Taiwanese national carrier is in the middle of adding new airplanes to its long-haul fleet and plans to fly the new 777s between Asia and North America. The airline already flies 21 Airbus A330s, one of the main competitors for the 777. The airline also flies 13 of Boeing’s 747 passenger jets and 21 of its 747 freighters. Boeing has booked orders for more than 1,100 airplanes this year.