CAIRO: Boeing and EgyptAir on Sunday marked delivery of the airline's first Next-Generation 737-800 by announcing the Cairo-based carrier's exercise of options for six additional 737-800s. The total order for 12 airplanes is valued at $850 million at list prices and marks a significant investment by EgyptAir to bolster its regional operations. "The Next-Generation 737 is the premier single-aisle commercial airliner available today, said Lee Monson, Boeing Commercial Airplane's vice president of the Middle East and Africa. "The airplane's flexibility to perform difficult missions on various routes with unmatched efficiency and reliability offers airlines throughout the region the opportunity to streamline their operations and enhance profitability. EgyptAir is also the first airline to begin regular service with a 737 delivered with Boeing's Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) installed in the flight deck. The Boeing EFB digitally delivers vital charts and manuals that pilots need to fly an airplane, giving them quick access to the information they require. EgyptAir placed its original order for six aircraft and six options in August of 2005. The six options confirmed as orders were added to Boeing's Orders & Deliveries Web site this past week as being unidentified. EgyptAir currently has four Boeing 737-500s, five 777-200s as part of their mixed fleet of airplanes. "Today is a great day for EgyptAir and we're pleased to be adding this remarkable airplane to our fleet, said Engineer Atef Abd El-Hamid, chairman and CEO of Egyptair Holding Company. "The Next-Generation 737-800 with its performance enhancing Blended Winglets truly meets our needs to maximize our operating efficiency and provide excellent service to our passengers. EgyptAir operates 400 weekly flights from Cairo and several Egyptian cities, providing route connectivity to more than 66 destinations across Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.
