Boeing, Juneyao Airlines finalize order for five 787-9 Dreamliners

BEIJING - Boeing and Shanghai-based private airline, Juneyao Airlines, announced the finalization of an order for five 787-9 Dreamliners on Friday.

According to Boeing China, the order is valued at $1.3 billion at current list prices. It includes an option for Juneyao to buy five more 787-9s.

It is also the private airline's first Boeing order and first widebody airplane order.

"Our strategic vision is to develop into an international airline that provides high quality service with an extended network, while ensuring excellent profitability," said Wang Junjin, chairman of Juneyao Airlines.

"The order will play a key role in our growing business in the years to come, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Boeing into the future," he added.

According to Boeing, the 787-9 Dreamliner will deliver unmatched fuel efficiency to Juneyao Airlines, keeping the carrier competitive in the challenging economic environment.

To date, the 787-9 has accumulated more than 635 orders from customers worldwide.

More than 120 orders for the Dreamliners family planes have yet come from airlines in China. Twenty-six of them are for the 787-8, and 97 for 787-9 planes.

"We are pleased to welcome Juneyao Airlines as a new Boeing customer," said Rick Anderson, vice president of Sales, Northeast Asia for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "This order is an endorsement of their confidence in the 787 Dreamliner, which is the first choice for many single-aisle operators to start widebody operations."

The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering passengers with large and dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Juneyao Airlines, one of China's largest private carriers, operates more than 80 domestic routes and short-haul international flights to neighboring countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand.

The carrier plans to open new routes to North America, Europe and Australia by 2020.