Boeing

Boeing Business Jets today announced 10 new orders, increasing its total orders to 56.

The announcement was made by Boeing Business Jets President Borge Boeskov at the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Atlanta, Ga.

"We're extremely pleased to announce these new orders," Boeskov said. "It shows a continued momentum for this airplane program. In our first three years of operation we have doubled the original sales estimates for this program."

Boeskov also updated the program's delivery statistics. BBJ delivers the airplanes to the customer 'green' (no interior or paint), and the customer then takes the airplane to completion locations for the installation of additional fuel tanks, paint and interior. To date, Boeskov said, there have been 28 'green' BBJ deliveries, and five with completed interiors, delivered to customers. The first fully completed BBJ was delivered to an undisclosed customer Sept. 4.

"When the first BBJ went into service the customer relayed that they 'absolutely loved the airplane,'" Boeskov said.

The business jet is a high-performance derivative of the Boeing Next-Generation 737-700. It combines the size of the 737-700 fuselage (110 feet 4 inches, 33.6 meters) with strengthened wings and landing gear from the larger and heavier 737-800. This tailored combination provides owners with a business jet platform that has a range of 7,140 statute miles (6,200 nautical miles, 11,480 kilometers) and payload flexibility beyond that of any competitor.

The airplane will cruise at speeds up to .82 Mach, equivalent to a ground speed of 550 miles per hour, and is able to serve such routes as New York to Buenos Aires and London to Johannesburg. The same CFM56-7 engines used on the Next-

Generation 737 commercial airplanes powers the BBJ. CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of GE and Snecma of France, produces the engines.

With an 807-square-foot passenger cabin, the Boeing Business Jet has nearly three times as much space as the largest existing executive jets. The interior can accommodate a variety of configurations with space for conference rooms, executive offices and individual work areas that exactly match a customer's personal work and travel preferences.

The Boeing Business Jet is equipped with Aviation Partners Inc. winglets, which reduces drag and enhances the performance of the BBJ. Much like the auxiliary fuel tanks installed by PATS Inc., the Aviation Partners' winglets are installed after delivery.

The spacious interior provides room for new features typically not found in other corporate jets. These features can include a private crew rest area or emergency medical facility, an advanced satellite communications center, an exercise suite, full-sized bathrooms and showers, conference room, dining room, bedrooms and full-service office facilities.

Boeing website: http://www.boeing.com/bbj (or choose "Business Jets" icon from http://www.boeing.com)