Boeing’s Jumbo Jet Receives Lift From Russian Order

Boeing and Volga-Dnepr Group confirmed an order for 20 Boeing 747-8 freighters on Tuesday at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.

The order includes four 747-8s that have already been delivered to Volga-Dnepr, a Russian company that specializes in transporting outsized and heavy cargo by air.

Financial terms of the agreement and delivery schedule were not disclosed in the announcement.

“Volga-Dnepr intends to provide strong evidence to the market that the unique An-124 and Boeing 747-8 four-engine freighters are still essential to serve the fast-changing requirements of our customers worldwide,” Alexey Isaykin, Volga-Dnepr president, said in a news release.

The order could stretch the life of the iconic Boeing jumbo jet, which in recent years has seen few new orders, and the production rate of which is set in September to decline to one airplane every two months. Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita manufactures the forward fuselage, wing leading edges, struts and pylons of the 747-8.

On Tuesday, Boeing also announced several other orders and order commitments:

—An undisclosed Chinese customer committed to buying 30 737s — a mix of Next Generation and Max aircraft — in a deal valued at $3 billion at list prices.

—TUI Group finalized an order for 10 737 MAX 8s and one 787-9 Dreamliner in a deal valued at $1.4 billion at list prices.

—Air Lease Corp. ordered six 737 MAX 8s — three of which were new and three were previously attributed as an unidentified customer — in a deal valued at $660 million at list prices.

—Kunming Airlines, an all-Boeing fleet customer in China, signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire 10 737 Max 7s.