Eleven 787s in new round of orders

Boeing won orders for passenger and cargo jets, including 11 of its 787 Dreamliners, in three separate transactions announced Monday.

The new orders have a total list price of almost $3.7 billion, but the estimated actual price after discounts, based on figures from aircraft-valuation firm Avitas, is $2.2 billion

Kuwait-based Aviation Lease and Finance added orders for 12 jets: six 787 Dreamliners and six 737-800s. The company also disclosed it was the unidentified buyer that had placed a September order for another six 787s.

The 12 newly ordered aircraft have a total list price of $1.3 billion but an estimated actual price of $868 million. Aviation Lease, known as Alafco, is the first Middle Eastern customer to order the Dreamliner, Boeing said.

Continental Airlines also ordered five 787s, bringing its total orders for the Dreamliner to 25. The five new jets have a total list price of about $916 million but an estimated actual price of $580 million.

The carrier's latest contract is for the 787-9 variant. Houston-based Continental also said Monday it will convert 12 previously ordered 787-8 models into the longer-range 787-9 stretch versions. The airline will be the first U.S. carrier to fly the 787-9.

With Monday's commitments, Boeing has 475 firm orders for the 787. The plane is scheduled to begin service in mid-2008, five years before Airbus' competing model, the A350 XWB. Boeing may regain the lead in aircraft deliveries from Airbus, the world's largest maker of commercial aircraft, as early as next year on surging demand for the twin-aisle 787.

"Boeing's wide-body products are gathering strength, while Airbus tries to reorganize," said Richard Aboulafia, vice president at Teal Group, a Fairfax, Va., aerospace-consulting firm. "Unless Airbus gets its house in order, the A350 is at risk of losing its market to Boeing."

Aboulafia said the growing order list confirms the 787 as "the most successful wide-body launch in the history of the industry."

Boeing also announced Monday that it signed to deliver up to 10 747s to Volga-Dnepr, a Russian cargo carrier. Volga-Dnepr agreed to buy five 747-8 cargo craft with an option for five more. The catalog value of five 747-8s is about $1.4 billion; the estimated actual value is about $790 million.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report. Estimated actual prices of the orders were reported by Seattle Times staff.