Boeing

The first Next-Generation 737-700 for WestJet Airlines based in Calgary, Alberta, now has entered final assembly in the Boeing factory in Renton, Wash. The new airplane is scheduled for delivery to WestJet in late May.

Last year, WestJet Airlines finalized an agreement to lease 10 Boeing 737-700s through GE Capital Aviation Services , of which this airplane is the first. The airline also placed a firm order to purchase another 26 Next-Generation 737-700s. Boeing will deliver all 36 airplanes between May and January 2006. The airline currently operates a fleet of 23 737-200s.

Once WestJet begins revenue service with its new 737-700 airplane in July, the airline will become the only Canadian-based carrier to operate the Next-Generation 737 in Canada. WestJet is well known in the Canadian aviation industry as a successful low-fare, short-haul operator. Since its inception in 1996, the airline has flown over 9 million passengers on its 17-city route network, and at the end of 2000 it celebrated its 15th consecutive quarter of profitability. WestJet is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.