Israeli national carrier El Al has confirmed an order for two additional Boeing Next-Generation 737-900 Extended Range aircraft, adding to the airline's four aeroplanes ordered in March 2011.
EL AL chief executive officer Elyezer Shkedy said: "These additional airplanes will help us expand our fleet to meet growing demand from our customers and to serve the growing markets in our network."
The two-aircraft will be received under the $179.2m order at current list prices, replacing the airline's existing Boeing 757 aircraft.
Todd Nelp, Boeing Commercial Airplanes European sales vice-president, said: "The Next-Generation 737 family already forms the backbone of EL AL's short and medium-haul operations, which will be greatly enhanced in terms of route flexibility, improved efficiency and passenger comfort with the introduction of the 737-900ER."
With a seating capacity of up to 215 passengers in a single-class configuration, the 737-900 ER offers a range of up to 5,990km.
Powered by new CFM56-7B engines manufactured by CFM, the aircraft is designed to offer a 7% reduction in operations costs and 5% lower per seat-mile decrease than the aircraft of a similar kind, in addition to an economical cruise speed of .791Mach (525mph).
The 737-900ER shares performance commonality with other variants of the 737 line, which include reliability, lower maintenance costs, and lower operating costs; in addition to optional flight deck systems, comprising head-up display (HUD), global positioning landing system and vertical situation display.
Features of EL AL's 737-900ERs include the new Boeing Sky Interior featuring new sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting and well-built overhead stowage bins.
EL AL serves more than 30 destinations worldwide, operating an all-Boeing fleet of some 40 aircraft.
Image: The Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ER in EL AL livery. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.
Twitter