Boeing

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Vietnam Airlines today celebrated the delivery of the national carrier's 10th 777-200ER. With its lotus tail gleaming, the airplane is loaded with a special cargo of textbooks collected by Seattle University and will depart for Hanoi Noiboi International Airport tomorrow. The textbooks are being donated to Vietnam National University in support of the development of English-language technical degree capabilities in Vietnam.

Vietnam Airlines' newest 777 is the sixth that the airline has leased through International Lease Finance Corp. In addition, Vietnam Airlines also owns four 777-200ERs.

To coincide with the airplane's delivery flight from Seattle to Hanoi, Seattle University collected textbooks from students and faculty for the past several weeks. Among the subjects of the donated books are aviation and aerospace technology and information technology journals and reference books.

"A fleet of 10 Boeing 777s is a key element in our business plan and provides Vietnam Airlines with a significant international presence," said Nguyen Xuan Hien, president and CEO, Vietnam Airlines. "Additionally, we are very pleased to participate in this program to enhance educational opportunities for Vietnamese students."

"Deliveries of airplanes provide an excellent avenue for cooperation with U.S.-based organizations to benefit the countries where we do business," said Christopher Flint, director, International Sales - Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Boeing, as a high-technology company, is particularly driven to improve education and finds it especially appropriate to team with an outstanding educational institution, such as Seattle University, to provide a positive influence for students, schools and the Vietnamese people."

The new donation by Seattle University follows two previous donations of computers, office equipment and textbooks by Boeing during 2005. Boeing and Seattle University hope that the donations will provide additional opportunities for Vietnamese students and provide lasting relationships between the universities.

"This is a great example of the long-standing ties between Seattle University and the Boeing Company," said Joseph Phillips, dean of the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. "Boeing has long been a supporter of Seattle University, and this project is a natural partnership for us. Working together, we are able to have an impact in Vietnam that we could not do by ourselves.

"This project is a great illustration of how Seattle University 'empowers leaders for a just and humane world.' Our alumni at Boeing and our faculty and students provided the leadership needed for this important project. They knew that if they worked together they could make a difference and have a significant impact on the education of university students in Vietnam."

The unmatched range and superior economics of the 777 will give the airline more flexibility in flight planning and for nonstop direct flights connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City with Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt and other key international cities. The 777 is ideally suited for such long-range, nonstop flights. It is the world's most efficient twin-engine airplane and has an impressive schedule reliability rate of more than 99 percent -- the best in its class.

Vietnam Airlines' 777s feature the spacious, award-winning "Boeing Signature Interior" that was designed to provide maximum comfort to passengers on longer intercontinental flights with large overhead stowage bins that are designed to open downward for convenient loading and a high ceiling that provides passengers a more spacious, open environment.

In the recent past, Boeing contributed funds for typhoon relief efforts in Vietnam, as well as flood recovery work and various human health initiatives.

The development of a long-term plan for cooperation with Vietnam is a key objective for Boeing. The Boeing Company values educational programs, especially those that support the bright future of the aviation industry.