Flight International online news 09:30GMT: Garuda Indonesia’s commitment to order 10 Boeing 787s for delivery early in the next decade has enabled the airline to again defer deliveries of Boeing 737s that were ordered nearly six years ago.
The state-owned carrier announced its intention to order 787s for delivery between 2011 and 2013 on 16 September. The planned order – for now it is a memorandum of understanding, according to industry sources - will replace a longstanding unfilled firm order for six Boeing 777-200ERs.
Garuda ordered the General Electric GE90-powered 777-200ERs in 1996 but soon after had their delivery deferred indefinitely as a result of severe financial troubles. There had long been doubt over whether it would ever take those aircraft.
Late in 1999, when it restructured order terms with Boeing, it agreed to acquire 18 737-700s from the manufacturer - but as with the 777s it later put the order on hold as a result of financial woes.
The airline’s spokesman is not able to confirm details but industry sources say the 787 commitment has enabled the airline to switch the 737-700 orders to those for larger –800s, and to further defer the first delivery of the narrowbodies to 2009. Deliveries will continue through 2012 under the new schedule, the sources add.
NICHOLAS IONIDES/SINGAPORE
Source: Flight International
