China Eastern Aviation Group, one of the big three airline operators in China, has ordered 5 Blended Winglet shipsets to be installed as Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) on Next Generation Boeing 737-800s for delivery in early 2005. These Performance Enhanced aircraft will be operated by China Eastern's Shanxi branch based in Taiyun, and subsidiary Wuhan Airlines.

China, with the fastest growing airline market in the world, is one of our bigger opportunities, says Aviation Partners Boeing CEO Mike Marino. The fact that a well-respected operator like China Eastern — one of the big 3 operators in China — has selected Blended Winglet Technology is especially important to us. This order demonstrates to the region that that Blended Winglet Technology is catching on.

Today, over 30 airlines worldwide are flying patented* Blended Winglets. The winglets improve range up to 5%, save fuel, improve performance, reduce engine maintenance cost and provide an assortment of environmental benefits. With this sale, close to 65% of all 737-800s on-order will be Blended Winglet Equipped.

Specific benefits for China Eastern include annual fuel savings per aircraft in the order of 120,000 gallons, improved performance out of high altitude and high temperature airfields and enhanced safety margins.

In an engine out condition, Blended Winglets allow the 737 to cruise at an altitude 1000 feet higher, says Aviation Partners Boeing Sales Director Craig McCallum. This provides an additional margin of safety advantage, particularly when operating over mountainous terrain in southwestern China.

China Eastern Aviation Group ordered its 5 Blended Winglet Shipsets through ILFC for delivery beginning in May 2005. ILFC was an early adopter of Blended Winglet Technology and currently has over 20 Blended Winglet Equipped Next Generation Boeing 737s in its leased fleet.