UPS order keeps 767 production line rolling

SEATTLE — An unusually large order from UPS Inc. will add life to the Boeing Co.’s aging 767 line, regardless of whether the Air Force eventually chooses versions of the plane for its tanker fleet.

UPS announced Monday that it was adding 27 Boeing 767-300ER freighters to its fleet. Boeing said it was the largest order of 767 freighters since UPS ordered 30 of the jets in 1993.

Atlanta-based UPS said it expects the new planes to be delivered between 2009 and 2012. The freighters are worth more than $4 billion at Boeing’s list prices, although customers typically negotiate steep discounts.

UPS said the twin-engine, wide-body freighters will help the company continue its international expansion and overhaul its fleet.

Observers were surprised by the size of the order for the 767, which has been in service in some form since 1982.

“I would never have guessed, quite frankly,” said Paul Nisbet, an analyst with JSA Research. “Orders for 27 767s don’t come every day.”

The order also keeps the 767 production line in Everett running for several more years while the company seeks a $100 billion contract to replace hundreds of aging Air Force refueling planes, possibly with 767s.

“That’s certainly the biggest takeaway here,” said analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group.