Panama’s flag carrier Copa Airlines has placed a $6.6bn order with Boeing for 61 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft.
Said to be the largest transaction between a Panamanian and a US-based company, the deal was signed at the seventh Summit of the Americas.
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The order was earlier posted on Boeing’s orders and deliveries website, attributing to an unidentified customer.
Copa CEO Pedro Heilbron said: "The Next-Generation 737 is the backbone for our fleet today, and our order for the 737 MAX shows our continued commitment for the future to bring people together across all of the Americas using the most modern and efficient airplanes in the sky as well as our Hub of the Americas in Panama City."
Copa Airlines plans to replace its existing aircraft fleet with the new 737 MAX airliners.
With this order, Copa will become first airline in the region to operate the 737 MAX 9 variant on South American routes.
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By GlobalDataAccording to Boeing, the range and passenger comfort offered by the 737 MAX 9 will suit Copa’s long-haul route network.
Copa chairman Stanley Motta said: "This order is an important step in strengthening Copa’s leadership in the region as we enhance our world-class product and expand our network."
Built on strengths of Next-Generation 737, the 737 MAX is equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines, advanced technology winglets and other improvements to offer 14% in fuel efficiency and 8% in operating cost per seat, compared with other single-aisle aircraft.
Boeing has so far logged 2,715 orders for the 737 MAX from 57 customers worldwide.
Image: Copa Airlines plans to replace its existing aircraft with the new 737 MAX airliners. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.
