=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/10/27/financial/= f190548D23.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, October 27, 2005 (AP) Air New Zealand Doubles Boeing 787 Order (10-27) 19:05 PDT CHICAGO, (AP) -- Air New Zealand has doubled its order for the planned new Boeing 787 to four planes, becoming the second airline to increase its order for the fuel-efficient aircraft, officials said Thursday. The planes have a list price of $117 million, according to an Air New Zealand statement, noting that figure dated to July 2004. The 787 now has a list price of $130 million, although airlines routinely negotiate significant discounts. Boeing Co. did not disclose the sale price. "This is a great position for us to be in given the unprecedented sales success of the Boeing 787 model and enables us to plan for the airline's long-term needs," Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe said in a statement. The 787 will carry 230 to 250 passengers. Boeing's Seattle-based commercial airplanes division said it now has 295 combined orders and commitments from 24 customers for the plane. The company plans to begin production of the twin-engine 787 in 2006 and commercial airlines are expected to begin flying the planes in 2008. With the new airplane, Chicago-based Boeing is competing against rival Airbus SAS's proposed A350. The first airline to increase its 787 order was Ethiopian Airlines, which ordered five jets in February and another five in June, a Boeing spokesman said. ___ On the Net: Air New Zealand Boeing: www.airnewzealand.com www.boeing.com/commercial/7e7/background.html --------------------------= -------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 AP