Lion Air to Buy Five Boeing Dreamliners

Boeing Co. (IW 500/15) on Friday confirmed a commitment from Indonesia's Lion Air to buy five 787-8 Dreamliners for its new subsidiary. "Boeing confirms that Jakarta-based Lion Air announced a commitment to order 787 Dreamliners for its newly launched premium carrier Batik Air," the Chicago-based company said. "Boeing congratulates Batik Air for selecting the 787 Dreamliner and looks forward to finalizing this order," it said in a brief statement that did not reveal details of the pending order. A Boeing spokesman told AFP that the privately owned Lion Air plans to buy five 787-8s. At list prices, the deal is valued at $967.5 million. Since the beginning of the year, Boeing has posted order cancellations for six Dreamliners. The first 787 delivery last September was three years behind schedule. Built largely with lightweight composite materials, Boeing says the Dreamliner is about 20% more fuel-efficient than similarly sized aircraft and is the first midsize airplane capable of flying long-range routes. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012