Jeju Air, a South Korean low-cost carrier, has announced an order for 40 Boeing 737 MAX 8, plus 10 purchase options.
The deal is worth up to USD $5.9 billion according to list prices, Boeing says. This contract also includes digital services provided by Boeing Global Services, to monitor and optimize fuel spending.
Jeju Air, based on the South Korean island of Jeju, was founded in 2005 and currently is the country’s largest low-cost carrier. It operates 39 Boeing 737-800, with three more on order, and carried more then 10 million passengers last year.
This order is possibly a very important one for Boeing’s 737 MAX. The aircraft type recently experienced its first ever deadly accident, when Lion Air flight JT610 crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, just one and a half years after the 737 MAX entered commercial service. Jeju Air’s purchase demonstrates a remaining confidence in the airplane.
Jakob Wert is an aviation journalist from Germany. He built up the website IFN.news and is the Editor-In-Chief of International Flight Network.