Northwest to Lead With Dreamliner

Northwest Airlines Corp. is buying 18 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and will become the first North American carrier to put the fuel-efficient long-range planes into service, the company said Thursday.

The Eagan, Minn.-based carrier said it would take initial deliveries of the 787s in August 2008, and that it held options and purchase rights for an additional 50. The 18-jet order is worth $2.2 billion at list prices, but airlines typically negotiate robust discounts with Boeing and competitor Airbus.

Boeing Co. now has 82 orders plus 173 commitments for the 787s from 20 airlines in all, spokesman Peter Conte said.

“We do consider this to be a very important order from a very important airline,” Conte said. “We believe that by committing to the ’87 that Northwest will be able to capitalize on the superior economics and low maintenance requirements of the 787.”

The only other U.S. carriers to order the 787 so far have been Continental Airlines Inc. and tiny Primaris Airlines, but Northwest will be the first in North America to fly the plane, Conte said. Foreign carriers that have ordered them include Japanese carriers ANA and JAL, Icelandair, Korean Air, Air New Zealand, Air Canada and Air India.

The Dreamliner can carry 200 to 300 passengers and costs about $120 million. Northwest will configure it to carry 36 passengers in business class and 185 in coach.

The orders are an important boost for Boeing as it competes against the European consortium Airbus, whose comparable A350 won’t be available until 2010.