Eastern Air Lines Orders 20 Boeing Next Generation 737s

Eastern Air Lines Group, the company that is planning to revive Eastern Air Lines, announced that it has placed an order for ten Boeing 737-800 aircraft, a short- to medium-range narrow-body jet.  It also said it secured purchase rights for ten Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, an aircraft that is being developed as a successor to the third-generation 737.  It is expected to launch in 2017, 50 years after the first 737 took flight.

Eastern, which operated from 1926 to 1991, was a major U.S. airline. After its liquidation, American Airlines acquired many of its routes linking Miami to Latin America and the Caribbean, while Delta Air Lines acquired a number of planes from its Lockheed L-1011 fleet.

Eastern was also the launch customer for the Boeing 727 and 757.

The 737-800 can seat 162 passengers in a two-class configuration, or 189 in one class, and competes with the Airbus A320.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)