Air Transport

A much delayed plan to deliver five aircraft to TAAG Angola Airlines in one day finally came to fruition at the weekend when Boeing handed over three 737-700s and two 777-200ERs at Luanda on Angolan Independence Day.

The Boeing delegation included 38 people led by president of airplane production Carolyn Corvi who flew in on one of the 777s which took 16h 47min to make the 8,060nm (12,896km) trip from Seattle.

The two 777s departed within an hour of each other and their arrival was synchronised with that of the 737s, which had left Seattle several days earlier.

Boeing says another 737-700 will be delivered in January 2007 and another 777-200ER in the fourth quarter of the same year. It adds that TAAG is "in negotiations" for a 777-300ER.