Airlines: 707's littlie Brother Gets Bigger

Boeing published a press release yesterday on the delivery of the first Boeing 737-900ER aircraft to GE Commercial Aircraft Services.  GECAS will lease the planes to Futura International Airways.  These two airplanes fly farther and more efficiently than all other 737 aircraft.

What is "deja vu" interesting to me is that the B737-900ER looks like and has similar lift and range capabilities to the original 707. The first B707-120 carried 179 passengers.  The 737 started as a shortened, smaller range derivative of the 707 but now carries more than 200 passengers on flights from Seattle to Miami.

When I worked for Delta in the late 70's loading airplanes, we used to call the "new" 737-200, the flying football because of its short, football like shape.  Advance the clock 25 years...and these same 737 derivatives look like 707s but with 2 engines! Thats very interesting to me because it continues to validate the beauty and engineering marvel of the original 707 shape as well as Boeing's understanding of what the potential product size should be for a given aircraft range.

An aerodynamic shape remains constant, but what happens with the engine efficiency and the avionics inside is dynamic.

clipped from www.boeing.com SEATTLE, May 06, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] last week delivered Europe's first two Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range) airplanes to GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) and its leasing customer, Spanish carrier Futura International Airways, based in Palma de Mallorca. "We are very satisfied to take delivery of the first Next-Generation 737-900ER for Europe through our lessor GECAS," said Román Pané, CEO of Futura. "Our experience in operating the 737 will be expanded with this new aircraft model, allowing us the longest range possible for our international fleet." Boeing launched the 737-900ER program in July 2005. The 737-900ER, the newest member of the Next-Generation 737 airplane family, increases the capability of the 737 by carrying more passengers and flying farther. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the 737-900ER April 22.

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[aircraft leasing]

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