Continental Airlines today announced that it has ordered two additional Boeing 777- 200ER widebody airplanes from The Boeing Company, as the airline continues its international route expansion.
At a George Bush Intercontinental Airport ceremony, seven Continental employees signed the aircraft order alongside Continental Chairman and CEO Larry Kellner, Continental President Jeff Smisek and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Alan Mulally.

“The 777 is the long-range workhorse in our all-Boeing fleet, and will serve the most profitable segment of today’s aviation market—long-haul international routes,” said Kellner.

“We have Continental employees signing this order, because it was the sacrifices they made with their pay and benefit reductions that made our growth strategy possible. These new aircraft will help deliver more career opportunities and better job security for our employees, while giving our customers superior comfort and the ability to fly to more international destinations nonstop on their favorite airline.”

Continental currently operates 18 777-200ERs in a 283-seat configuration and flies them on long-distance international routes such as Houston-Paris, Houston-Tokyo, New York-Beijing and New York-Tel Aviv. Continental plans to start New York-Delhi service this fall using Boeing 777-200ERs.

“Our enduring partnership with Continental Airlines has helped make the 777 the preferred airplane in its class for both passengers and airlines,” said Mulally. “We’re especially proud today to have the airline and its employees choose Boeing and the 777 to meet its growing need for international long-haul airplanes.”

The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2007. Boeing has agreed to provide backstop financing for the aircraft.
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