First decade of the 21st century has become an epoch of parting with Soviet aircraft fleet and replacing it with already used but still newer Boeing and Airbus aircraft. And after a while, the market’s leaders – Aeroflot and S7 Airlines, have started acquiring new jets. However, all of these were the liners made by European concern. Thus we have witnessed the delivery of first Airbus А320-200 to S7 Airlines three years ago (in russian language).

Looks like Boeing has lulled the vigilance of Europeans and now American airframer is definitely taking revenge. One by one Russian airlines are declaring the acquisition of new Boeings. And I am not even mentioning the super-order, received by Boeing from Russian Technologies. Moreover, Russian airlines prefer to acquire only the next-generation jets: 737NG, 777, 787 Dreamliner and even 747-8. Obviously such a success is the result of purposeful work of Boeing’s managers at the Russian market. We have assured in the special relations between the airframer and Russian customers when we arrived at Boeing’s site, manufacturing single-aisle aircraft, in Renton located near Seattle.

It is my second visit of assembly facilities in Seattle. During the previous visit we have seen the production areas of all the Boeing’s civil aircraft and we have told about this visit earlier in the framework of illustrated report «Dreamliner - how do you call a boat, so she ... fly!» (in russian language). Besides, as against our facilities, no one has stated what we can photograph and what we cannot, and no one has registered the camera’s serial number. And it is not surprising, since they believe that the airframer should demonstrate the maximum exposure to its customers. Not only journalists but also the customers themselves visit the facility. And moreover, they have the right to trace all the aircraft’s production stages. 

Just stepping over the workshop’s doorstep, we have already identified S7 Airlines’ jet by characteristic color-gamma on jet’s tail fin and part of airline’s logo.

Paces of Boeing 737 aircraft production are very high. Only 10 days from the start of jet’s assembly are required for the jet to perform its first flight. And according to the Boeing’s officials it is not the limit. The production paces for Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be twice higher in future. And you should take into account that Dreamliner is a wide-body aircraft. For reference, the assembly of each Boeing 747 takes 4 months.

Unfortunately, Russian aircraft industry has not even dreamed about it in the arms of Morpheus. Besides, our industry leaders can hardly take it in how this could be possible. Looks like our country’s administration has also has made up mind to our inability. Protective tariffs against import of foreign models have been substituted by the wide-opened doors. At present, Russia is the largest of Boeing’s titan suppliers (in russian language) and Russian Technologies State Corporation has ordered 85 Boeing 737 NGs to the amount of $6 billion (in russian language). And now the financial support has come – Sberbank and Russian have signed an agreement (in russian language)on development of mutually profitable capabilities for aviation financing and leasing at the market of Russia and CIS Region. In accordance with the signed agreement the parties are obliged to carry out co-operative work in the area of search and realization of projects connected with financing of acquisition and leasing of Boeing’s products and services by the existing and potential customers in Russia and CIS Region. 

Such a far-reaching cooperation is the reason for the special stance on Russian customers that we were feeling during our stay in Seattle. The time has been passing insensibly and finally the solemn moment, for which we have travelled across the ocean, has come. Before the start of the ceremony we have been shown a video demonstrating all the production stages of S7 Airlines’ new jet during a short period of time – 2 minutes and 16 seconds.

The ceremony of Bill of Sale signing and neckband cutting are carried out in quite a prosy manner. And it is understandable; in fact Boeing delivers one jet per day. But it can be seen that the hosts have been trying to underline the solemnity and significance of the moment. Boeing Field Delivery Center has been decorated entirely in the colors of S7 Airlines.

The Boeing’s vice-president John Presco has signed the Bill from the American side and the jet’s acceptance has been carried out by CEO of Globus airline, Alexander Steblin. According to the Globus’ CEO, the order on delivery of new Boeing 737-800NGs to S7 Airlines has been placed in 2006. The airline will acquire first two liners out of ten this spring in accordance with leasing contract signed with Cramington Aviation Limited.

 And now I would like to say few words about Boeing 737 Next Generation family aircraft. These are modern liners with improved characteristics as compared to the previous modifications. They have an increased range and weight capacity. The special wing tips – winglets – installed on new Boeing 737-800NGs help increase fuel savings due to lower cruise rating thrust, and thus optimize costs for technical maintenance of engines and decrease jet’s noxious emissions.

The liner has 160 passenger seats: 12 business-class seats and 148 economy class ones. The jet’s cabin is equipped with modern passenger chairs produced by Recaro (Germany), making a flight even more comfortable. The liner’s length is 39,5 m, flight speed – 850 km/h, maximal range – 5665 km. The jet is equipped with CFM56-7 engines; its maximum takeoff weight is 79,010 tons. Its catalog price is about $80 million.

All the formalities have been left behind and we are going aboard. 

Alexander Steblin, General Manager airline GLOBUS

Meanwhile, the S7 Airlines’ crew hurries to the preflight briefing. They have an important task – to fly the jet to Moscow Domodedovo airport, where it will perform its first passenger flight in a few days. At present S7 Airlines’ fleet includes 41 jets: 20 Airbus A319s, 9 Airbus A320s, one Airbus A310, two long-haul Boeing 767-300s, 4 Boeing 737-400s and 5 Boeing 737-800NGs.

I do not know how the facility’s personnel react to such things, but as for me, the birth of new jet is a squeaky bum time. It has a long labor biography ahead. What will its future fate be, under which flags will it fly, in which countries and continents? Maybe I will be one of its passengers as the years pass, and I will tell an accidental fellow traveller about this day. Or maybe we will not recognize each other. It is beautiful and new, it does not know any authorities and it is ready to give a head start the old Tupolev jets. As Andrey Nikolaevich Tupolev said: «Ugly aircraft do not fly ». But Boeing 737-800NG is a beautiful aircraft. So may his fate be successful and glorious, and may his life be long.