Boeing

The Boeing Company has delivered its first two 757-300s, its newest commercial jetliners, to Condor Flugdienst, the largest holiday charter airline in Germany.

Boeing launched the 757-300 - a derivative of the 757-200 - in 1996 with an order for 12 airplanes from Condor. The charter carrier subsequently ordered a 13th 757-300 and is scheduled to take delivery of seven of the airplanes in the first half of 1999.

"We are pleased that Boeing has kept its commitment to deliver these efficient new airplanes to us in time for the Easter holiday season and the peak summer holiday season, which begins in June," said Dieter Heinen, Condor managing director. Heinen said the first two 757-300s will go into revenue service immediately, joining the 18 Boeing 757-200s and nine 767s in Condor's fleet.

The carrier plans to use the 757-300 this year to fly vacationers from 13 German cities to destinations in Greece, Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

"We were enthusiastic right from the first day we heard about this airplane," added Dr. Dietmar Kirchner, the former Condor managing director who urged Boeing to launch the model. Kirchner now is senior vice president of Corporate Purchasing and Properties for Lufthansa German Airlines, Condor's parent company.

"We liked the economics of the 757-200, so we knew we'd have even better economics with the stretched 757," Kirchner said. "The 757-300 has the seat-mile costs of a widebody airplane, without the risk of filling so many seats."

Jack Gucker, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group vice president - 737/757 Derivative Programs, said Boeing was able to keep the delivery commitment because the 757-300 team adhered to a carefully planned development timeline. "The team designed, built, tested, certified and delivered a new derivative model in a record time of 28 months," he said. Gucker noted that Condor's day-to-day participation was a major factor in meeting the commitment.

Designed for both charter and scheduled airlines, the 757-300 has a range of about 4,000 statute miles (6,436 kilometers) and the lowest seat-mile operating costs of any single-aisle airplane ever built.

At 178 feet 7 inches (54.5 meters), the 757-300 is 23 feet 4 inches (7.1 meters) longer than the 757-200. It holds 20 percent more passengers and about 50 percent more cargo by volume.

The 757-300 features an all-new passenger cabin interior. Upgrades to the flight deck will allow airlines to use advanced systems, such as global positioning system (GPS) sensors and satellite communications (SATCOM), to take full advantage of new communication, navigation and air traffic management systems.

Icelandair and Arkia Israeli Airlines also have ordered the 757-300.