Chinese airlines to buy 60 Boeing 7E7 Dreamliners

Chinese airlines to buy 60 Boeing 7E7 Dreamliners    Boeing signed preliminary agreements with six Chinese airlines Friday for the purchase of 60 Boeing 7E7 Dreamliners. The total value of the agreements are approximately $7.2 billion.
   The six Chinese airlines are Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. Each carrier is scheduled to receive its first 7E7 in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
   Boeing has formally designated the 7E7 was as Boeing 787 Dreamliner, production of which will begin in 2006. First flight is expected in 2007 with certification, delivery and entry into service in 2008.
   The 787 will carry 200 to 300 passengers on routes between 3,500 and 8,500 nautical miles (6,500 to 16,000 kilometers).
   The new agreement brings the total number of announced orders and commitments for the 787 to 186 airplanes, Boeing said.