Boeing has announced sale agreements with two Asian airlines for a combined total of 43 new aircraft, highlighting the significance of the region for aircraft manufacturers.
Hong Kong Airlines is to buy 38 Boeing aircraft, six 777 Freighters, 30 787-9s and two 787-8 VIP airplanes.
At the same time Air China signed an agreement for the purchase of five 747-8 Intercontinental jetliners. Air China is the first Chinese carrier to contract the passenger version of the new, fuel-efficient 747-8.
"Air China has been operating 747s since the 1980s," said He Li, vice president of Air China. "The new, high capacity Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental will deliver exceptional economics and a great flying experience to our customers."
Boeing believes that air traffic growth in the Asia Pacific region will exceed the world average by a large margin over the next two decades. In a media briefing at Asian Aerospace 2011, Randy Tinseth, vice president of Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the region’s air traffic growth is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.8 percent over the next 20 years, compared to the world average of 5.3 percent.
“Asia Pacific will account for one-third of new airplane deliveries worldwide over the period,” Tinseth said. “This demand is driven by the fact that Asia Pacific will account for 44 percent of travel in 20 years’ time, up from around 34 percent today.”
