Azerbaijan Airlines signs for five 787s, two Boeing freighters

Azerbaijan Airlines signed an agreement with Boeing placing a firm order for five 787-8s and committing to order two very large freighters, either the 747-8F or the 777F.

The deal for all seven aircraft is worth $1.9 billion, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Kevin McAllister said in a signing ceremony at the Dubai Air Show.

Baku-based Azerbaijan Airlines is already a 787-8 customer with two of the type in its fleet. In 2014, it became the first carrier in the Commonwealth of Independent States to operate the 787. It had signaled plans to buy more 787s in June at the Paris Air Show.

Regarding the freighter portion of the deal, the carrier could either purchase two 747-8Fs, two 777Fs or one of each, McAllister said. Neither company released a timeline for when the freighter agreement will be finalized.

Boeing also announced that Azerbaijan Airlines is the launch customer for its 787 landing-gear exchange maintenance program, which allows carriers to return landing gear to Boeing for new landing gear. Neither the terms nor the length of the deal were revealed.

The carrier has operated Boeing aircraft since 1999, when it started flying 757s and 767s, president Jahangir Askerov noted.