Boeing Delivers 6,000th 737

Boeing today celebrated the delivery of the 6,000th 737 aircraft to International Lease Finance Corp (ILFC) which will lease the 737 to Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA.

The airplane's tail features are a special decal denoting this milestone.

"We couldn't be more pleased about being part of this important milestone for the 737. With its continuous innovations, the Next-Generation 737 brings the right combination of operational and environmental performance to address the requirements of our markets," Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA's chief executive officer Bjorn Kjos said in a statement released in Seattle.

Norwegian Air Shuttle is the largest low-fare airline company in the Scandinavian region and has a route portfolio that stretches across Europe into North Africa and the Middle East.

Norwegian has 39 737s in its fleet and an additional 42 on firm order with Boeing.

"ILFC's very first Boeing delivery was a 737 and since then we've taken delivery of more than 400 of this outstanding model, re-ordering incremental airplanes dozens of times," said ILFC chairman and chief executive officer Steven F. Udvar-Hazy.

"The Next-Generation 737 is a major cornerstone to ILFC's modern, fuel-efficient and economical portfolio of more than 1,000 commercial jets," he said.

Boeing says it remains focused on continuous enhancement of the next-generation 737 family to ensure the airplane provides market-leading operational, economic and environmental performance to airlines and lessors around the world.

"It is exciting to deliver our 6,000th 737 to ILFC and Norwegian Air Shuttle, and we thank them for being among the hundreds of airlines, operators and leasing companies that have made the 737 the world's most popular jet airliner," said Mark Jenkins, vice-president and general manager of 737 Airplane Programmes.

To date, unfilled orders for the Next-Generation 737 exceed 2,200 airplanes valued at approximately US$163 billion at list prices.