Boeing Has Orders For Stretched 747

Boeing Co. has orders from Asian carriers for more than 30 of its planned larger and longer-range 747 jumbo jets at an estimated value of more than $5.5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The orders could grow to 50 planes by the time Boeing announces the launch of the new models, expected at the biennial Farnborough Air Show that begins Monday in Britain, the newspaper said, citing executives familiar with the company’s sales.

Japan Airlines, Malaysian Airlines and Singapore Airlines have already agreed to place orders for what will be Boeing’s largest planes, the Journal reported. All Nippon Airways of Japan and Cathay Pacific Airways of Hong Kong were still negotiating with Boeing.

“Customers have expressed a lot of interest in these new versions of the 747s,” Boeing spokesman Christopher Villiers said in Seattle. But he wouldn’t confirm or deny any of the companies mentioned in the Journal article.

“There’s a great deal of speculation in the industry what will be announced at the Farnborough Air Show and the world will have to stay tuned,” he said.

The proposed 747-500x would seat 490 people and carry them up to 10,200 miles, up from 747-400’s 420-passenger capacity and its 8,200-mile range. The proposed 747-600x could carry 500 to 550 passengers about 8,500 miles.