Sun Country
Airlines took delivery today of a Boeing Next-Generation 737-800, the
first of eight Next-Generation 737s the airline will receive during the
next 15 months.
Boeing will deliver a total of seven airplanes to Sun Country in 2001 --
six 737-800s and one 737-700 -- and one additional 737-700 in March
2002.
With this delivery, Sun Country joins a growing number of airlines
worldwide that are using the popular, reliable and advanced-technology
Boeing Next-Generation 737 as the backbone for their fleet expansion and
growth plans.
"This is a great step forward for Sun Country," said President and CEO
Bill LaMacchia, Jr. "These state-of-the-art planes will be more pleasing
to our customers as well as more fuel-efficient, allowing for continued
growth and success for the airline."
The eight Next-Generation 737s Sun Country will receive are on lease
from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). Sun Country is the
16th airline into which ILFC has introduced Boeing Next-Generation 737
airplanes.
ILFC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American International Group, is the
international market leader in the leasing and remarketing of advanced
technology commercial jets to airlines around the world. ILFC owns a
portfolio valued at more than $20 billion, consisting of more than 500
jet airplanes, 60 percent of which are Boeing-built. ILFC has another
246 Boeing airplanes on order.
Sun Country Airlines, which is based in Mendota Heights, Minn., has been
in operation since 1983. The airline began by providing charter service
to sunny destinations in Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, Southwest
United States and to Las Vegas. In June 1999, the airline launched daily
scheduled service to a dozen destinations. In the past 18 months the
airline's scheduled service has grown to more than 30 destinations in
the continental United States, Mexico, and Caribbean.
The Next-Generation 737-800s for Sun Country Airlines will seat 168
passengers in a dual-class configuration and the 737-700s will seat 126
passengers also in a dual-class configuration. All eight planes will
feature the latest in avionics with a heads-up display in the cockpit,
eight executive class seats, all-leather interior and in-flight audio
system.
The Next-Generation 737 airplane is the newest, most reliable and
advanced jetliner in its class, and is the fastest selling new
commercial jetliner in history. Since the program's launch in 1993, the
airplane has logged more than 1,740 orders. The Next-Generation 737's
range is approximately 3,300 nautical miles and has a maximum cruising
altitude of 41,000 feet. All four models of the Next-Generation 737
airplane have quieter, more efficient and more powerful engines and
incorporate the latest improvements in cabin interior design and
flexibility. |