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Contact:
Warren Lamb or Don Hanson |
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Contact:
Warren Lamb or Don Hanson |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
96-180
LONG BEACH, Calif., July 26, 1996 -- China Northern Airlines (CNA) took delivery today of its first MD-90 passenger aircraft, an event that marked a major milestone in the long partnership in aviation between McDonnell Douglas Corp. and the People's Republic of China. China Northern is one of the largest air carriers in China and is adding 11 new MD-90 twin jets to its fleet of 26 MD-82 aircraft. Three MD-90s are scheduled for delivery by the end of this year, with three in 1997, three in 1998 and two in 1999. His Excellency Li Daoyu, ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United States, participated in the ceremony on the flight ramp at Douglas Aircraft Co., the commercial transportation division of McDonnell Douglas. Also attending were Raymond E. Vickery, Jr., assistant U.S. secretary of commerce for trade development, and Julie Meier Wright, California secretary of trade and commerce. Wang Hai-yang, vice president of China Northern Airlines, said: "We are pleased to receive the new MD-90 and are confident that it will serve our airline and our passengers efficiently in the growing markets of China." Li Cheng-xiang, chief financial officer of CNA, and Xiao Feng Bao, general manager of the Northern Branch of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, also attended the ceremony. Mike Sears, president of Douglas Aircraft, said today's MD-90 delivery to China Northern "is the result of a solid relationship of trust, cooperation and teamwork by many dedicated people over more than 20 years." McDonnell Douglas has been active in China since 1975, and the Shanghai Aviation Industrial Corp. (SAIC) has supplied parts for Douglas airplanes since 1979. An historic aviation co-production agreement signed in 1985 linked McDonnell Douglas with SAIC and the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. SAIC produced 35 MD-82 twin jets for use by China Northern and China Eastern airlines. The MD-90 was selected in 1992 as the China Trunkliner for domestic trunk and regional airline routes. In 1994, an amended co-production agreement for 40 aircraft was signed by McDonnell Douglas and the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. The agreement called for the production of 20 MD-90s in Shanghai and the direct sale of 20 of the twin jets from Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. Currently, MD-90s are being built in China by a manufacturing team that includes factories in Xian, Chengdu and Shenyang for component fabrication and subassembly work, and final assembly by SAIC. Final assembly and delivery of the first Chinese-built MD-90 is planned for 1998. The MD-90 is the newest mid-size, medium-range twin-engine jetliner available today, and it continues the McDonnell Douglas tradition of reliability and durability. China Northern's MD-90s are scheduled to begin regular service from Shenyang on Aug. 8, with initial flights to the cities of Chongqing and Kunming. Future destinations include Shenzhen, Beijing and Harbin. "We are taking steps to provide the very highest levels of support to China Northern Airlines," said John Fugh, president of McDonnell Douglas-China. He said these steps include support of a new advanced flight crew training center in Dalian, a supply of spare parts and ground equipment, and a team of McDonnell Douglas product support experts now stationed in Shenyang. CNA's MD-90s are configured with 12 first-class seats and 145 economy-class seats in the popular five-across passenger arrangement. They offer travelers the best in comfort and convenience, and the lowest interior noise levels. The MD-90 is powered by two V2500 engines from International Aero Engines, a consortium of the world's leading propulsion companies. Combined with the aircraft's design, the engines help make the MD-90 the quietest large jetliner in the skies. The fuel-efficient MD-90 also produces exhaust emissions that are well below strict international standards.